The Old Cranleighan 2023

THE OLD CRANLEIGHAN 2023

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THE OLD CRANLEIGHAN

2023 24/11/2023 14:09

CONTENTS The Old Cranleighan 2023

TAXING QUESTIONS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

No. 19 December 2023

FROM THE HEADMASTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 DESIGN INNOVATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MUSICAL EXCELLENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Editorial Team: VICKIE INGLE MARTIN WILLIAMSON

FIRST IMPRESSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 NEW BEGINNINGS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Consulting Editor JODY COOKSLEY

WESTSIDE STORY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 INSPIRATION AND TRANSFORMATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Photographers: LILLIE SPIBEY and MARTIN WILLIAMSON

OLD CRANLEIGHAN FUNDRAISING. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Design: screambluemurder.co.uk The Editors thank all others who helped to produce our magazine

MUSIC FOR AUTISM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 PLANS FOR THAMES DITTON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 MY OWN BOSS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 POEMS OF THE GREAT WAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

President: DUDLEY COUPER

THE ULTIMATE TEST. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Chairman: MARTIN WILLIAMSON

UNDERGROUND, OVERGROUND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

A FAMILY AFFAIR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 A CORNUCOPIA OF DAMAGED GOODS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Honorary Secretary: DODIE KHURSHID

THEY ARE GONE, AND HERE I MUST REMAIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Honorary Treasurer: TONY STRACHAN

ALL ROUND EXCELLENCE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

OCS and Cranleigh Network Manager: VICKIE INGLE e-mail: vli@cranleigh.org

THAMES DITTON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

LORD ROBERTS OF BELGRAVIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 LARGER THAN LIFE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 OC SPORTS & SPORTING HONOURS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

The OC Society website: www.ocsociety.org

OC CLUBS AND SOCIETIES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

www.facebook.com/ oldcranleighans

WHO’S STARTING WHERE IN 2022 – UNIVERSITY DESTINATIONS . . . . . . . 78

Follow @oldcranleighans

SCHOOL RULES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

ocsociety.cranleigh.org

COMMON ROOM LEAVERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

ENGAGEMENTS, MARRIAGES, BIRTHS & DEATHS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

OCS CALENDAR EVENTS FOR 2024

NOTICE OF AGM

All dates provisional for obvious reasons, please keep an eye on the website and social media.

➔ APRIL

FRIDAY 26TH

➔ JUNE

SATURDAY 29TH

➔ JULY

FRIDAY 5TH

SOUTH WEST LUNCH CHARD Contact Rick Vause on rick:vausecribb.co.uk OC DAY AND SPEECH DAY Contact Vickie Ingle on vli@cranleigh.org

SATURDAY 26TH

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In the Clubhouse at Thames Ditton on Tuesday 16th January 2024, starting at 19.30.

This will be followed by the next meeting of Excom.

OC GOLF DAY AT THE SCHOOL Contact Vickie Ingle on vli@cranleigh.org

➔ OCTOBER

The 120th Annual General Meeting of the Society will be held

OVER 70S’ RECEPTION AND LUNCH AT THE SCHOOL Contact Vickie Ingle on vli@cranleigh.org

Front cover: School War Memorial by sculptor Nicholas Dimbleby.

Back cover: West Side Story 1964

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CHAIRMAN

TAXING QUESTIONS CHAIRMAN, MARTIN WILLIAMSON (2&3 SOUTH 1980)

As the current government seems more likely than not to be heading towards electoral defeat sometime in the next 12 months, the prospect of a Labour government has again brought the future of public schools into the spotlight.

Labour has threatened to attack private schools regularly over the years but has never quite got round to it. This time it seems to mean business. Although the manifesto promise Labour campaigned on in 2019 to abolish all public schools has been ditched and the threats to schools’ charitable status has been shelved, it is highly likely that 20% VAT will be added to fees, and sooner rather than later. This will cause a significant increase to the burden faced by parents, but schools have been making contingency plans for some time. For example, VAT is not chargeable on every element of boarding, pastoral care, sports, etc. so it is likely schools will be breaking down their provisions in terms of recharge.

The Labour plans suggest a belief that parents are wealthy enough to absorb this tax which many of us who have put children through private education might feel is not the case. That said, the Institute for Fiscal Studies says that demand for private schools has remained steady at around 6 to 7% of the market despite a 22% real-term increase in fees since 2010 and 55% since 2003.

What Labour do not want is a mass exodus of pupils from private into state education.

After more than a decade of chronic underinvestment the state sector is creaking at the seams as it is. If, and it is a big if, a chunk of the £1.7 billion the introduction of VAT is predicted to bring is diverted into state schools that would be some kind of silver lining Fees, even without the addition of VAT, remain staggeringly high and I often hear people asking how they can be afforded by anyone other than the super rich. This question is not new and has been asked for decades, all the more so since the rampant inflation of the 1970s and early 1980s led to annual increases of 20% at their peak. At that time many schools increased fees termly to try to keep up. Between 1975 and 1980 – the years I was at Cranleigh – fees increased by almost 200% and I am sure my father’s angst was not helped by my termly reports. At the time the Bursar, correctly as it turned out, said: “I feel that those parents who believe in independent education will continue to pay the fees we ask.”

I HAVE EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE CRANLEIGH IS IN AN EXCELLENT POSITION TO WEATHER THIS LATEST STORM

Somehow people manage and, speaking from personal experience, the vast majority of the children a school like Cranleigh turns out makes the financial pain for their parents worthwhile. Many of them go on to put a huge amount back into society as can be seen from our charity pages which are only the tip of the iceberg.

The fear is the proposed changes will have an impact on smaller schools, especially those outside the south-east of the country. Prep schools, already under pressure from an increasing move towards age 11 entry to public schools, will also feel the heat. But the strong will survive and I have every reason to believe Cranleigh is in an excellent position to weather this latest storm.

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STRAPXXXXXXXXXX

FROM THE HEADMASTER MARTIN READER

One of the benefits of an OC (Paul Dunn 2 North 1997) being responsible for the Cranleigh School estate is we know that person cares deeply about the history and fabric of the School, in whatever form.

Therefore, when High Upfold was being completely refurbished this summer, Paul went to see if any historical gems had been uncovered. Behind some of the fitted furniture, the decorators discovered an end-of-term notice dated 26th November 1980 from the late Stephen Winkley, then Warden of the Sixth Form Centre.

I quote it in its entirety here as it gives a glimpse of a moment in time that may bring a tremble of some form to anyone who was resident in High Upfold at the time. For an English teacher, what a joy to see the use of the colon: a lost grammatical art!ESIDENTS This is the difficult bit.

Everyone will have finished exams by 5.00pm on Friday: many will have finished by Wednesday lunchtime. Some will be involved in the play: others will not. The danger is that the SFC turns into a doss house for dropouts: this is compounded by the fact that though you will all have stopped work, I won’t, and am likely to be more short tempered than usual with idiots and unconventional behaviour.

Each member of the SFC therefore has a basic choice: to stay and be good, or to go. If you stay and are bad you will be sent home anyway, play or no play. To prevent the sense of complete disintegration we would hope everyone available would turn up for the Christmas Dinner on the last night of term.

Whatever your intentions, please write them in the book so that we know whether to expect you here or not. Life goes on.

Over the past year I have met many Old Cranleighans who have come back to the School. Some are prospective parents: others are just interested to see how the place has changed. All of them comment that the buildings have of course changed but the heart has not. By ‘heart’, they mean both the Quad and the Chapel, as well as the Dining Hall and the welcoming spirit of the place.

When I read a notice such as this, I am reminded that the heart of a Cranleighan’s experience is the House, their friendships, activities and their relationship with their Housemaster or Housemistress. That remains the same. I read this notice and realise that even though 40 years have passed, teenagers don’t change: bad is sometimes a more appealing choice than good and Housemasters and Housemistresses are still having to spell out the consequences of choices.

The loss of Christmas Dinner, Butts BBQ or the Summer Ball remain a deterrent.

As I enjoy my final year at Cranleigh and pass the baton on to Samantha Price, I know that Cranleigh will continue to move forward with confidence, and rightly so. Yet I also know that its heart will remain beating strongly. It is what makes it so special.

I hope that Amanda and I will see many of you in Cranleigh over the next year before we head west. You are most welcome.

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I KNOW THAT CRANLEIGH WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH CONFIDENCE ... ITS HEART WILL REMAIN BEATING STRONGLY

CRANLEIGH’S NEW HEAD When Martin Reader retires in the Summer of 2024 the School will welcome Samantha Price to be its next Head.

Current Headmistress of Benenden School, she is a prominent figure in boarding education and a leading voice of support for young people. A figurehead for girls’ education in particular, last year she was President of the Girls’ Schools Association and listed as one of the UK’s best Headteachers by the Times Educational Supplement.

Mrs Price will join Cranleigh in September 2024, following a decade at the helm of Benenden. Her vision for education closely allies with Cranleigh’s ethos of inquiry based, collaborative learning with a focus on future skills and excellence in co-curricular as well as academics.

As usual there will be events for OCs run throughout the year so there will be opportunities to meet the new Head then.

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MARTIN RIDDIFORD

DESIGN INNOVATION MARTIN RIDDIFORD (CUBITT 1973) IS AN AWARD-WINNING DESIGNER WE ALL SHOULD HAVE HEARD OF, BUT PROBABLY HAVEN’T. MODEST AND UNASSUMING, HIS DESIGNS HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.

Martin Riddiford is one of the Old Cranleighan Golf Society’s most successful players and ranks among those who have played for us the most times in the prestigious Halford Hewitt — the Ryder Cup of old boys’ golf. It was after one of these matches he came up with one of his most successful inventions.

He had missed several short putts which he felt had lost the match not only for him and his partner but ultimately the OCs. “I felt it was down to me and my poor putting,” he said. So he went home and practised putting for hours on the carpet, trying to work out what was the best target to use. Nothing seemed to work properly, so Martin set about inventing something that would. The result was the PuttOUT, a pressure putt trainer that is considered the next best thing to putting on a real green. He took the design to Masters, one of the big distributors. “We were asking for a royalty and they said if you sold 5,000 of these you’d be really lucky.”

After other rejections, Martin decided to make a prototype himself and sent one to the Golf Guru, who reviews products online. The result was an endorsement and a positive review. Martin was at the Golf Show as this review came out and they got 1,000 orders. PuttOut has gone on to sell over 750,000 units and continues to sell across the world. All from a bad day putting on the golf course!

Martin has always been interested in solving problems, and from a very early age was designing and innovating. While at prep school he became involved in stage management and stage design. “We put on a number of things which were quite adventurous and I made the models of the stage,” he said. “We did one where we had a revolving stage underneath, so we were building things on the top which turned round and changed the scene from one thing to another. Really interesting stuff.”

I WAS ALWAYS A BIT DISAPPOINTED AS THE NINE-HOLE COURSE AT THE SCHOOL IS A BIT MICKEY MOUSE WITH TINY, TINY GREENS

At Cranleigh he had less chance to indulge his passion. After doing Art at O-Level, he was streamed into more academic subjects at A-Level — Maths, Physics and Chemistry. “At that time Cranleigh was very poor at recognising that people did not want to go into certain professions”, he said. “If you wanted to be an architect or anything like that, you couldn’t really fit in. There was not such a thing as design in those days.” He learned more at home from his father, who was 50 when he was born and had retired by the time Martin was about 10. “He had a workshop at home and he liked making furniture and things like that. He built his own circular saw, and my brother and I were given a workbench and in the holidays I’d be making stuff.”

Maths and Physics, however, did become useful in later life: “Most of my work is based on geometry.

There is an element of certainty in traditional physics, where you can make a calculation or look at a behaviour and it is always going to do the same thing.”

After Cranleigh, he had a gap year working many different jobs before driving around Europe in a van with his girlfriend. On his return, Martin took a year’s foundation course at Worthing where he had a chance to try many disciplines, including illustration, textiles, ceramics, photography, animation, design and fine art.

After Worthing, he applied to the Central School of Art and Design to do a course in Industrial Design (Engineering). From there he was put forward for a Leverhulme International Fellowship, a travelling scholarship which gave him the opportunity to visit design companies throughout the USA. He spent four months travelling around America by Greyhound bus, meeting designers and learning as much as he could about the business. “It was a great experience and I met some very influential people. When I got to New York I was offered a job, but I did not feel I was ready for it.”

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MARTIN RIDDIFORD

He returned to the UK where he joined his great friend Jonathan Knight (2 North 1974) who had been at college with him. Jonathan had just started working with a brand-new design company set up by husband and wife Stephen and Pamela Frazer. “It was a very happy time, making visual models for presenting to clients. I would interpret the engineering drawings, make the bits, glue them together, paint them and present them.

It was a great experience, working among designers, and I learned a lot, particularly about planning and timing as you always had a deadline to meet.” According to Jonathan, “Martin is the most self-effacing, modest man you’ll ever come across. He’s an exceptionally talented designer, who is incredibly creative, coming up with new stuff continually.”

The electronics industry was in its infancy at that time, with a great deal of electronic things that needed a box to go around them and that is where

much of the work was coming from. “There was this thing called Project 60, created by Clive Sinclair, where you bought printed circuit boards (PCBs) and you wired them all up together. In the holidays, when I was still at school, I made my own boxes for the PCBs to go in, making speakers and speaker cabinets, culminating in my own unique hi-fi system.”

His first product that came to market stemmed from an idea he had at college for an electronic calculator where the buttons were the shape of the numbers. “I designed this model and made it by cutting out the profiles of the numbers in a piece of material, and then squeezing some putty through and sanding off the top of the buttons. I showed this working prototype at my college degree show and Stephen Frazer saw it and thought it was quite cool. One of my first projects at Frazer Designers was to turn that into a real thing and get it made in Hong Kong.” It was then copied by

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MARTIN RIDDIFORD

therefore were soon working with a number of people in the tech industry and became involved with the early stages of DAB radio. They came up with designs that were sent to the brands, which were then made by the factories in the Far East and sold by the brands in the UK. “Our designs helped get the DAB radio business going. Hitachi and Pure and Roberts, we’ve done designs for all of them.”

Similarly, a former managing director of Psion joined a fledgling Dutch company called TomTom who were experimenting with electronic maps. In 10 years they became Holland’s most successful company and therefore was their design partner right from the beginning.

The consultancy grew to around 25 people, and one of the projects they helped design was the Bednest, a crib that was attached to the bed with a fold-down side so you could reach your baby easily. It won many awards and sold extremely well, but in 2015 a baby tragically died while in the Bednest and, even though the product had passed all the safety standards, a court case ensued. The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death, but the whole thing obviously affected everyone who had been working on the product. After the accident, the crib was modified and was bought by a Dutch company who still sell it today.

OUR DESIGNS HELPED GET THE DAB RADIO BUSINESS GOING. HITACHI AND PURE AND ROBERTS, WE’VE DONE DESIGNS FOR ALL OF THEM

Mothercare and various other companies but Stephen managed, through lawyers, to get them to pay a royalty to Frazer’s on every product they sold.

In the early days of Martin’s time at Frazer’s a start-up came along called Psion. It was initially a software company making software for Sinclair and for games. Psion could see that the software could be used in a portable device and it was Frazer’s job to come up with a design. Martin was very aware that you should be able to put the device in your pocket, so came up with the initial Psion Organiser proposal for a small, portrait-orientated unit with the screen at the top and keypad below. Further to this he designed a sliding cover for it to protect the keys.

It launched very successfully and the Organiser 2 came along shortly afterwards and was also a huge success, mainly due to Marks and Spencer using them to check credit card payments throughout their stores. Frazer’s also produced one of the world’s first laptops with Psion, which incorporated a large touchpad that was mapped to the screen.

Psion then upgraded to a new software, SIBO, which led to the Series 3 Organiser that launched in 1991. This was the first device with the hinged lid, designed by Martin. “I’m very proud of that as a product, and it won a design award.”

As a result of this, the chairman of Psion offered Martin a job, but he chose instead to set up as an external consultant. In 1993 he left Frazer’s to set up design consultancy therefore with Graham Brett, who he had been with at the Central School of Art and Design. Martin was still working with Psion and designed the Series 3a, which had a much thinner screen, followed by the Series 5, which had moved on to a touch screen with a stylus.

Another company therefore worked with was Solarcentury who put 5% of their profits into a charity to reduce the use of kerosene in the developing world. “A couple of billion people don’t have access to electricity or lighting, and if they want lighting they either use a candle or an oil or kerosene lamp.” SolarAid, a charity founded by Solarcentury, wanted the consultancy to design a lamp that was rechargeable without the use of electricity and was also cheap. “I had this notion of a bag of rocks pulling on a pulley turning a generator, it’s an electric motor backwards and you can wire an LED across it, so the components are actually very cheap.”

After many experiments, he came up with a prototype that would give 20 minutes of LED light, but Solarcentury’s funding ran out. therefore decided to crowdfund to get the project off the ground, raised about $400,000, and the GravityLight was born. After initial testing, the design was tweaked further and then people said they wanted to be able to charge their mobile phones with it. The third generation, the NowLight, has a battery inside and you charge it by pulling the cord for a minute, which generates 30W of electricity. “A lady in Alaska uses it every day for her lighting. She’s off grid and absolutely loves it.” The last 2,000 of their stock has been sent out to Ukraine, and they are now redesigning it to be cheaper, so it can be used more widely in the developing world and by aid agencies in emergencies.

Another fascinating product is the Music Player, a radio for those living with dementia, produced for a charity called Unforgettable. The innovative interface and simplicity of the controls mitigates confusion for the user and, with music being so beneficial for dementia sufferers, this player can be life changing.

As his friend Jonathan Knight says, Martin is always thinking up new and creative ideas and, even though we don’t know it, many of our lives have benefitted from his genius. www.therefore.com

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HELEN WAREHAM

MUSICAL EXCELLENCE THE HELEN WAREHAM COMPETITION, THE PINNACLE OF INDIVIDUAL MUSIC AT CRANLEIGH, CELEBRATES ITS HALF CENTURY THIS YEAR.

In 1973 Captain Dennis Wareham, who was Bursar at Cranleigh between 1956 and 1968, donated a music prize in memory of Helen, his wife of over four decades, who had died the previous year. The conditions of the prize were that it be awarded to the winner of an annual competition in which all participants had to have reached Grade 8 with distinction. Known affectionately to peripatetic Tutors as the ‘Eddie Waring’, it immediately showcased Cranleigh music at its best as it continues to do today.

The inaugural competition was won by Jeremy Wilks who later in the year was awarded an instrumental exhibition to Balliol College, Oxford. It has been held every year since and is one of Cranleigh’s oldest traditions. Although the standard has always been high, the Director of Music warned in The Cranleighan in 1977 that it “was less certain the rivalry [between competitors] will stimulate performances of real musical merit as the tensions associated with competing for a prize can often upset the most carefully prepared performer”.

Nor at times has the adjudication, usually by eminent former pupils, composers or directors of music at other schools, been without controversy. In 1981 the review in The Cranleighan said the winner “was not the best performance of the evening... to say that he was obviously the winner from the moment he sat down at the keyboard was arrant nonsense”.

In 1980 there were so many entrants that for the first time a preliminary round had to be held (a number only matched in 1999). In 1983 the first girl — Karen Currie — took part. In 1990 Sarah loannides became the first girl to win and she was followed a year later by Monica Chan.

A number of those who have won it have gone on to professional careers, while others have returned years later to judge.

Michael Bennett (violin, 1983) and Matt Vine (piano, 1984) both went on to professional careers as tenors. In 1992 a singer, treble Tom Hedley (2&3 South 1996), became the first Fourth Former to win it. When Derek Bourgeois, perhaps Cranleigh’s most famous musician, returned in 2008 to adjudicate he said, with justification, that musical standards at Cranleigh had “gone up out of all recognition” since he left half a century earlier.

In the 2000s the eligibility criteria was changed so the competition was restricted to the top Grade 8 musicians in the School. Shortly after it was changed again so it became a shoot-out between the winners of the five sectional competitions and each of those winners was deemed to have won the Helen Wareham. In 2023 it reverted back to the original format with one overall winner.

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ROBERT WAYLAND DEBENHAM

[1]

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

THIS ACCOUNT OF HIS FIRST DAYS AS A NEW BOY - WRITTEN SOME YEARS LATER BY ROBERT WAYLAND DEBENHAM (2&3 SOUTH 1893) - HAS RECENTLY COME TO LIGHT. ONE OF NINE CHILDREN, DEBENHAM ARRIVED AT THE SCHOOL, ACCOMPANIED BY HIS FATHER, BY TRAIN FROM HIS HOME ON THE ISLE OF WIGHT IN JANUARY 1891, SHORTLY AFTER THE START OF THE LENT TERM. HE WAS ALMOST 13 YEARS OLD.

[2] He had, his father told him, been sent to the School as a punishment. At home he had been wild and undisciplined, but at school, under the eagle eye of Dr Merriman, he was to be trained in the way of a gentleman. The boys he met on his first day were not, though, gentlemen, at least not in the moral conception of the word. They teased him, they tripped him up.

They made him sing songs and they finally drove him to bed nearly in tears. He was, and felt like, a very small fish in a very large barbaric pond and he dreaded the things that were bound to come.

The next day he was forced to get up at 7.30 am for a period at 8.00 am.

This, he thought, was not too bad, especially as he found his boots cleaned and ready for him at his locker. His first lesson was relatively straightforward — at this stage the School had little reputation in the scholastic field.

The standard was rather low and the results disappointing. In spite of this, the boy, faced with seven periods a day in all subjects ranging from Greek to Chemistry, had no time to be lazy.

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ROBERT WAYLAND DEBENHAM

[3]

[4]

[5]

1. The Master 1893. George Allen (middle front row) had taken over from Joseph Merriman as Headmaster the previous year.

2. The old lower school classroom.

This was in use until 1929 when it was converted into the Williams Library.

3. 2 South dormitory which was over the entrance to the School in what is now East.

4. An informal game of football on the South Field in 1893.

5. A view of the School from The Park (now the golf course) around 1893. One of the original fives courts can be seen to the right of the chapel where the MMC now is. The raised mound in front of the chapel was a tennis court.

Breakfast gave him his first shock. As he went into Hall, which served as houseroom and dining hall, he was startled by the lack of food on the table.

There was an awesome silence as the master recited the Grace and as the scholars, resplendent in cloaks and mortar boards, sat down, immediately 350 hands reached out for their slice of toke (the nickname for bread) and gulped it down hurriedly. That was all they got. The boys then rose to their feet, the Scholars swept out and breakfast was over.

After breakfast there was a call-over and then chapel, both of which occurred twice a day. In the afternoon the boy was pressed into a game of rugby, which apparently was only played to impress and repress the new boys. 2&3 South had use of Common pitch, which was on the Common next to the Guildford Road. Each team was responsible for taking down their own goalposts which, if done properly, was a laborious task. Fortunately, though, the stream running beside the road (Horseshoe Lane) was considerably larger then so at certain times the poles could be navigated along it, occasionally even being sent perilously through the underground section.

The lack of food presented a never-ending problem. There was a tuck shop at which sweets and drinks could be bought, although some boys

objected to it on moral grounds. The favourite drink was a raspberry sherbet costing 2d which was often accompanied by a gooey mess of chocolate, wafer and cream. Another solution to hunger was to plunder the nearby farmers’ fields, pilfering turnips, potatoes, apples or anything else remotely digestible. The School was, accordingly, very unpopular with many local inhabitants.

Another great disadvantage was the risk of serious illnesses and the outdoor swimming pool did little to improve the situation. Apart from the risk of swallowing tadpoles or water boatmen, boys had to contend with filthy soup-like water and a marshy bottom. In spite of this, there was a waiting list to join the swimming club.

Life then was harsh. Bullying was widespread, food was meagre, entertainments were comparatively few and disease was rampant. In spite of this, the three years at Cranleigh were still “the happiest of his life”.

Debenham retained links with Cranleigh throughout his life, regularly attending OC dinners and being actively involved in the OC Lodge from its inception in 1925. He died in 1962.

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HILLTOP KITCHEN

NEW BEGINNINGS

ALEX WINCH (CUBITT 2007) AND HIS BUSINESS PARTNER, SAM FIDDIAN-GREEN, HAVE CREATED THE HUGELY POPULAR HILLTOP KITCHEN IN-BETWEEN HASCOMBE AND GODALMING IN THE SURREY HILLS.

When Covid struck, Alex and his wife returned from Australia to Surrey to live with his parents, around the same time as his childhood friend Sam finished a stint as a pastry chef in a two-Michelin-starred restaurant in Denmark.

It did not take long for them to decide to set up a farm-to-table restaurant in the Surrey Hills. Initially they were looking for food trucks as a low investment solution, but then in March 2021 the lease came up on a hilltop site surrounded by stunning farmland. “There was an obvious gap in the market for a Surrey restaurant championing local food. We saw it and that was it, we ripped the window out of the small building that was here, put in bifolds and created a static venue which is neither a restaurant nor a café, but very much the best of both worlds.” Now they are well into their third season.

They get all their lamb, pork and beef from the farm and carry out their own butchery in house. A large barn behind the venue houses the prep kitchen and a smaller service kitchen is attached to the inside seating area. Earlier this year they put in a polytunnel and vegetable beds and are looking to develop the adjacent field as a smallholding to support both this venue and their plans for the future.

“Sustainable and seasonal food is a key driver, so our ethos is to source everything from within the UK and as much as possible within the local area. Our meat comes from the farm right here, beers come from Luke at the Crafty Brewery at Dunsfold, the house sparkling wine and two of our still wines are from Greyfriars on the A3. We also source our house gin from Hambledon (Vann Lane Gin), which is a great small-batch producer.”

Something Alex brought back from Australia was the idea that really good food can be served in a casual environment. “We love the idea that you can have the quality that we are serving in a really fun environment in a dining area that Sam and I built ourselves. It’s something we are really proud of — stripping back the fine dining culture but still delivering that level of food.”

Lunch is not the only string to the Hilltop Kitchen’s bow. At 9.00 am the bakery chef puts out a full counter of delicious goodies including cinnamon buns, sausage rolls, sandwiches and flapjacks. At weekends there are bacon baps as well. The counter is kept topped up all day, with sandwiches and cakes available in the afternoon. The idea being that you can go up any time until 6.00 pm and get something delicious off the counter that you can eat on a picnic rug (supplied by them) at a spare table or at tables in the kitchen garden area, etc. They also have plans to put a large table in the polytunnel so it is like a second venue where you can eat surrounded by the smell of tomatoes as they grow.

THERE WAS AN OBVIOUS GAP IN THE MARKET FOR A SURREY RESTAURANT CHAMPIONING LOCAL FOOD

Sausage rolls are their most popular item. “We are hitting silly numbers. Off the lunch menu, well we made 800 sausages from our pigs last year. They were the most delicious sausages ever. Our pasta dish changes every week depending on what is in season but it is also one of our signature dishes.”

They also run supper club events. Alex was concerned that new customers weren’t getting a chance to book before these were sold out so now they have the dates in the diary but don’t tell anyone.

The first week of every month they send out a newsletter and open up the bookings channel telling everyone that it’s open and what the menu will be (e.g. in April it was a three-course lamb feast).

The idea is a fun, celebratory evening that is not too late — enjoying a bottle of wine with lovely views.

They have invested heavily in a new kitchen team and some management staff so they have someone on board to support them as they take the next step. When we spoke to Alex back in late Spring

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they were “desperately looking for a rural pub to take on by the autumn — somewhere within five to ten minutes of the Hilltop kitchen. We want to support the community that has been so supportive to us and love the culture of having our own farm, so if you go to the café you can go to the pub and it’s all from the farm that’s three minutes down the road.”

At the end of October they exchanged on The Merry Harriers in Hambledon. The pub’s origins date back to the 16th century and it is steeped in history with the landlords’ names dating back to the early 1700s written on the inn walls. “The plan is to move into the pub with the team and just use Hilltop Kitchen for special events throughout the winter.

Then next summer we will run both sites simultaneously.”

Alex credits Cranleigh for nurturing his passion and skill for communicating and getting to know people: “We had an incredibly good year group and have ended up with wonderfully supportive friends. Coming out of education I struggled in an office environment and went into hospitality as a waiter to try and figure out my life a bit. I never looked back, and front of house is perfect for me.

“I would love to mentor anyone who is scared about making that step into the unknown. The hospitality industry can be a dangerous place with pitfalls to get around and I’d be happy to do anything I can to help people navigate their way and enjoy the wonderful side of doing something they love.

“I feel that every single person coming out of school should work in a restaurant. The communication skills you get, the work ethic, the ability to empathise with people who are working pay cheque to pay cheque and to understand how the real world works are really valuable to take with you to university or into whatever your next step is.”

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SIXTY YEARS ON

WEST SIDE STORY IN FEBRUARY 1964 CRANLEIGH DRAMA MADE THE NATIONAL PRESS WHEN IT STAGED WEST SIDE STORY, A RADICAL MOVE REFLECTING THE CHANGING TIMES AND THE FIRST SCHOOL PRODUCTION OF IT IN THE WORLD. WE CHATTED WITH PRODUCER DUNCAN NOEL-PATON (MCR 1962-1972) ABOUT HOW IT CAME ABOUT. Although Cranleigh had won a reputation for outstanding drama during Michael Redgrave’s brief time at the School in the 1930s, thereafter the annual play was almost always Shakespeare although some levity was provided by regular plays put on by the Common Room which varied in content and quality.

Duncan Noel-Paton was one of David Emms’s early appointments, joining the staff in 1962 aged 22. Drama, as a subject, did not exist and Noel-Paton was hired to teach History. “I had studied Educational Drama but I’d done my degree in History at Cambridge,” he said. “Emms did not know anything about that, but when he found out I was teaching a few Drama lessons outside the timetable he came along to watch and was then supportive.”

The initial idea to stage West Side Story came from Jared Armstrong, the Director of Music. “He was encouraged by Derek Bourgeois, who had been a pupil of his and was now a junior member of staff, albeit a very rebellious and naughty one. He once wrote a version of the School song, which he hated, as a grand opera and we did it at a concert. Everyone there loved it but the old guard in the Common Room found it appalling and were very angry about it. Emms had to pretend to be equally angry to appease them.

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SIXTY YEARS ON

“Bourgeois had so many contacts in the music world that Armstrong knew between them there would be no problem getting professional musicians. Armstrong also knew I was drama-crazy so he said: ‘Let’s just do it’. The problem was that the dance in West Side Story was so complex that we could not do it without proper choreography.”

Nan Wills (the wife of the then 1 North Housemaster Ken Wills) was at the time a visiting Dance instructor at what became the prestigious Guildford School of Acting (where she later founded the Musical Theatre course) and she agreed to come on board despite being, by her own admission, terrified. “She was totally professional, far more than I was, even though she later told me she ‘hadn’t a clue’.

“I had ideas of what I wanted with movement, but we worked very much together and she was definitely the Dance teacher... she wasn’t afraid to tell me to stop being silly and sit down. She did all the technical work and was marvellous at duets.” The pair of them continued to collaborate at Christ’s Hospital (where Noel-Paton went after he left Cranleigh) and then Farlington.

The initial plan was to stage West Side Story at the end of the Lent term of 1964, but that was scuppered by Laurie Tanner, the Chaplain, who was appalled at the prospect of such a production happening in or around Lent itself. So the time for preparation was slashed and it was scheduled to take place in early February, which gave three weeks from the start of term for full rehearsals.

Even then there was no guarantee the production would happen and it was not even included in that term’s printed calendar. Emms was hesitant, and he in turn had to overcome ethical objections from governors and Common Room. “You can try,” he told Noel-Paton and Armstrong, “and I will come to an early rehearsal and tell you if you can go ahead.”

Emms’s fear was twofold: that it might be a disaster and it was ‘not what Cranleigh did’.

“I understand the Headmaster is coming to see your play to see if it can go ahead,” Effie Tucker (MCR 1929-1964) told Noel-Paton. “I rather hope it doesn’t.” Noel-Paton said the general view of the Common Room was they “hoped it would all blow over and I would then be put in my place. I did warn the cast that there were people who did not want this production

WE HAD CLEANED UP THE SCRIPT A LITTLE BUT ONE OF THE LEADS SAID THE ORIGINAL WORDS BECAUSE HE WAS THAT SORT OF BOY. WE GAVE HIM HELL AFTERWARDS BUT PRIVATELY I THOUGHT IT WAS RATHER SPLENDID

and that in fact did a lot to raise morale. I told them they had to show the Headmaster we could do it and they pulled out all the stops.” Emms was won over. “That was one of the most exciting things I have ever seen,” he said. “Of course you have to do it.” There were still battles.

Noel-Paton then had to force through, in the face of strong opposition, changes to long-standing rules to enable boys to attend rehearsals in evenings and ahead of rugby practice. Emms, on his part, gave full support but had to constantly remind some in the Common Room not to be difficult. A month before the first night he urged his colleagues to show “cooperation, tact and patience”.

Despite initial doubts, the auditions were hugely popular, with 65 boys turning up, and there was no problem in finding enough actors. “The boys were terribly excited from the word go because it was about America, gang warfare, and there was lots of movement.”

“It was an occasion to learn to dance and sing to Bernstein’s wonderful

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SIXTY YEARS ON

WE HAD YOUNGER BOYS WHO DID NOT DANCE BUT WERE VERY MUCH PART OF IT

music,” Rupert Swyer (2 North 1964) said. “We had to forget our rugger training and accustom ourselves to dancers and far more exacting regimes, alongside some girls. The first time we rehearsed the ‘Mambo!’ scene, we called out ‘Mambo!’ in our clipped public schoolboy tones.

Noel-Paton mercilessly caricatured our accents and galvanised us into a fair imitation of a much brasher, swaggering, American-sounding ‘Mambo!’.” It was also an escape from the dreary routine of the Lent term, and Noel-Paton remembered that “at the end of rehearsals the cast spent 15 minutes unwinding and lying flat on the floor, getting used to going back into the grim world again”.

“He had to work with boys who in their roles were bullying him and being generally horrible. This was brilliant as it broke down barriers.”

Very early on it was decided the complexities of the material meant that the two leads needed to be professional actors and Jamie Phillips (Tony), Sheila Amit (Maria) and Pat Goh (Anita) were hired — Goh had been understudy for the role in the West End. “I didn’t feel getting professionals in was a cop-out. I saw it as a joining of our artistry and theirs.” The professionals had to agree to being directed by Noel-Paton and also to commit to attending rehearsals at the School, although Noel-Paton did also go to London to work with them.

The publicity the show attracted was remarkable, including full features in The Tatler and the Illustrated London News as well as coverage on the BBC. “That was down to Steven Nathan (Cubitt 1964). He was very good at ringing these places up and sounding much older than he was. He was tremendously smooth, very determined and wouldn’t take no for an answer. It was the most publicity I ever had.”

That Phillips was not a schoolboy helped resolve one stand-off. “There was a big problem when Tony is in bed with a girl and there was a frightful row because he was going to remove his shirt,” Noel-Paton said. “Phillips said he would withdraw if he was not allowed to. Eventually Emms settled the matter by ruling the shirt could come off ‘only because Mr Phillips is a professional’.”

The production involved three girls’ schools: St Catherine’s, Priorsfield and Guildford High School, a ballet school, three professional singers and an orchestra boosted by outsiders, some of whom had played in the original Her Majesty’s Theatre production. Not all the external links worked well. The Headmistress of St Catherine’s insisted her pupils attend all rehearsals in full school uniform, and with a chaperone, which led to them being restrained throughout. “They were anti any form of relaxation and kept the girls on a very tight rein.” One boy said that by the end they were so fed up with the St Catherine’s Mistress who accompanied the girls that they removed the distributor cap from their school minibus, stranding them at Cranleigh. “St Catherine’s really disliked us,” Noel-Paton said, “but fortunately Priorsfield loved us.”

The brass section was formed almost entirely from players from the London Symphony Orchestra, supplemented by some OCs and boys, and a few Masters played adults, with Ken Wills in the role of Officer Krupke.

Weeks before the show, Emms told the Common Room that “it must be a success, or anyhow a magnificent failure”. He need not have worried, as both the Cranleigh community and the press were won over. Originally intended to have two shows, a third was added when more than 500 people were left without tickets and finally a fourth on a Sunday as local publicity triggered another surge of interest. Even so, several hundred people were left disappointed.

The show was very enthusiastically received. “Tumultuous applause shot through the hall as the curtain fell,” said the Surrey Advertiser. “The ovation was richly deserved. This was a show which would have made an impact on a professional stage. Sportsmen and scholars, the athletic giants of the school rugby XV and the incorrigible swot are collaborating in the monumental presentation.” The Guardian observed “that an unsuspected taste for modern ballet has been discovered among the VIth form”.

The one major regret Noel-Paton had was that the constraints of space meant the orchestra was on the side of the Speech Hall behind the pillars.

“As the aisles had low ceilings, the poor orchestra were deafened out of their wits.”

Despite West Side Story’s success, there was no push to do another musical although the groundwork had been laid for what was to follow. “In the end the reaction was immensely positive but it could hardly be anything else as it was a tremendous success and raised Cranleigh’s profile. As a result, doing Carmen in 1967, a grand opera which was even more challenging, had no opposition.”

West Side Story cost almost £1,000 to stage, at the time the most expensive musical staged by a school in Britain. The profit was donated to Oxfam but the lavish production only made £28. The governors, won over by the rapturous reaction, donated a further £300.

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WESTON LORD

Weston with his sisters, Abi (South 2017), Olivia (South 2017) and Georgia (South 2013)

INSPIRATION AND TRANSFORMATION Weston Lord (Cubitt 2015) was diagnosed with Leukaemia in 2016 at the age of 19. He had just left Cranleigh and begun his first year at university across the pond in California. A simple trip to the student health centre with suspected fresher’s fatigue was quickly turned into an ambulance ride to the hospital, an immediate course of chemotherapy and admission for the next six months to try and get him into remission for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.

Unfortunately, just over a year later, Weston relapsed and then started the treatment process to have a bone marrow transplant from his sister Liv Lord (South 2019). After a gruelling and challenging second year of treatment and recovery, Weston was cleared to return back to the University of Southern California and continue working towards his degree.

OVER THE YEARS, I HAVE SLOWLY REALISED THAT THE STRUGGLE IS GOOD. OVERCOMING ADVERSITY, TRIUMPHING OVER WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS IMPOSSIBLE LEADS TO THE GREATEST GROWTH IN PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT.

A tough year for all, 2020 was especially so for Weston as, for a third time, at the very start of the pandemic, he got the news that he had relapsed again, this time with Leukaemia Cutis — a rare manifestation of the disease. For many, this setback would be devastating, yet Weston not only managed to navigate a global pandemic with little to no white blood cells but also graduated as a Business Major from USC and started his own business. Drawing on how his experience with Hickman lines could be improved, he created WaterShield, a medical device setting out to make it possible for patients with a central venous catheter to have a safe and comfortable shower, which is currently in the prototype stage and being designed out of USC. It is hard to even fathom, but in the summer of 2021 Weston was told he had relapsed for the fourth time and he would need another bone marrow transplant and a new donor. A perfect match was found on the Bone Marrow Registry in Germany and since his successful second transplant, Weston has continued to transform his life and the lives of those around him with his positive mindset and philanthropic efforts. From appearing on news stations to taking up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Weston says he will continue to put himself in challenging positions in order to grow, give back and live the fullest, most rewarding life.

Weston is also now working at the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society and earlier this year Weston’s Warriors raised over $300,000 to help fight bone cancer (see page 17 for more on this). He encourages anyone interested in getting involved in future fundraising or events to get in touch.

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CHARITY

OLD CRANLEIGHAN SOME OF THE WORTHY CAUSES FOR WHICH OCS HAVE BEEN FUNDRAISING THROUGHOUT 2023

SEVENTEEN OCS COMPLETE LONDON MARATHON All 17 Old Cranleighans (that we know of) who set off completed the 2023 London Marathon on Sunday 23 April raising, to date, over £41,000 for their chosen charities. The most senior competitor, 67-year-old David Hunt (pictured), finished in an impressive 5:16:56 while, slightly further back, the youngest, Aimee Williamson, whose preparations were cut short by injury, finished despite her knee giving way after four miles. Huge congratulations to everyone who took part on what was, as always, a remarkable and heart-warming day.

Stuart Bennett (East 1990) — 5 hours 54 minutes and 45 seconds (NSPCC) Ruth Brown (Sandy) (1 North 1987) — 5 hours 4 minutes and 5 seconds (Teenage Cancer Trust) Ali Clift (Loveday 2013) — 3 hours 21 minutes and 31 seconds (The PSP Association) Oli Clift (Loveday 2019) — 3 hours 57 minutes and 1 second (The PSP Association) Tom Cooper (Loveday 2015) — 3 hours 33 minutes and 39 seconds (Cure Parkinson’s) Angus Dahl (North 2017) — 3 hours 38 minutes and 2 seconds (St Catherine’s Hospice) Richard Eamey (East 2016) — 4 hours 20 minutes and 50 seconds (Children With Cancer UK) Laura Ebbs (Bryett) (2&3 South 1997) — 2 hours 53 minutes and 14 seconds India Hampson (Rhodes 2018) — 4 hours 48 minutes and 36 seconds (Tommy’s) David Hunt (West 1973) — 5 hours 16 minutes and 56 seconds (Mental Health Foundation) Callum Job (Loveday 2018) — 2 hours 25 minutes and 49 seconds Duncan Jones (Loveday 2006) — 4 hours 5 minutes and 21 seconds (Target Ovarian Cancer) Mike Kennedy (North 2008) — 3 hours 29 minutes and 49 seconds (Young Epilepsy) Zach La Costa (Loveday 2016) — 4 hours 48 minutes and 39 seconds (British Heart Foundation) George Macdonald (East 2016) — 3 hours 59 minutes and 6 seconds (Children With Cancer UK) Sophie Thornton-Wood (West 2017) — 4 hours 42 minutes and 17 seconds (Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital) Aimee Williamson (South 2020) — 6 hours 49 minutes and 54 seconds (MS Trust)

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CHARITY

FUNDRAISING

WESTON’S WARRIORS

Earlier this year a group of Weston’s Warriors (see page 17 for Weston Lord’s story) consisting of himself, his family and friends — a large number of whom are old Cranleighans — came together in podcasts, Jiu Jitsu tournaments, cricket matches and auctions to raise over $300,000 in just 10 weeks for the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society, a charity that is dedicated to fighting blood cancer.

PEDALLING FOR PUBS

At the end of April Clive Chesser (2 North 1987) was part of a team of 28 which cycled across Sri Lanka for Pedalling for Pubs. They took part to raise money and awareness for the Licensed Trade Charity and Only A Pavement Away, two charities that support people who work in the pub and hospitality industry but have fallen on hard times.

The team rode over 450km from the west to the east coast, climbing 5,000m and evading snakes, monkeys and a couple of elephants. This was Clive’s second attempt — he was forced to pull out of the inaugural ride in 2022 by a health issue, so he was doubly determined to participate this year. So far he has raised over £9,000 and the team as a whole have raised £320,000.

THE CRAZED

Six weeks after running the London Marathon Tom Cooper (Loveday 2015) took on the Ventoux Club des Cinglés (“the crazed”) challenge which involved cycling up Mont Ventoux in France, at 1910m the highest mountain in the region which is nicknamed the “Beast of Provence”. It has featured in the Tour de France and Tom’s challenge was to cycle up all three paths to the summit in 24 hours. Each of the routes was 21km with an average 1 in 10 gradient and his task was made all the harder when his bike broke on his first descent, causing a 90-minute delay while it was repaired. He finally completed the challenge in darkness 13 ½ hours after his 5am start. He cycled 140km and climbed the equivalent of half the height of Mount Everest, raising over £7500 for Cure Parkinson’s.

Tom’s father, Simon Cooper (2 North 1982), whose exploits were covered in the 2022 magazine, was named Cure Parkinson’s charity fundraiser of the year. The charity wrote: “This award recognises a person who has gone ‘above and beyond’ to raise funds for Parkinson’s, and over the years Simon has done just that. Simon, who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017, works within the Lloyd’s insurance market and successfully nominated Cure Parkinson’s to be one of the company’s charity partners. Since then Simon has been instrumental in gaining support for the charity.”

TACKLING PARKINSON’S

Many OCs have stories to tell of their experience in work, of tragic moments, celebrations and great achievements. Colin Reed’s (West 1981) story contains all these. He has transformed adversity into an achievement that is changing the way Parkinson’s disease is perceived and treated across the world by setting up a charity that treats thousands of families and has become one of Europe’s leading Parkinson’s centres.

At the age of 46 Colin was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. At first he was shell-shocked. “The doctor said ‘take these pills and I’ll see you in six months.’ I walked out feeling utterly helpless.” It was this numbing experience that led him to take action. Feeling that there must be a better way, he set up the European Parkinson Therapy Centre, a non-profit company based 50 minutes from Bergamo airport in Italy. “The Centre is unique, revolutionary and a game changer for many of its guests,” he said. “Its protocols are used by many other centres. It has won awards and is so highly regarded and recognised that it runs worldwide webinars involving all the main associations of four continents.”

Using his experience and new-found knowledge, Colin pulled together a team of leading experts in Parkinson’s to create a ground-breaking treatment method that started from the idea that people with Parkinson’s were not sick but pioneers and real people who deserved respect and dignity.

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CHARITY

Through only word of mouth, the Centre now has clients from 45 countries, is fully booked out and has purchased a new building and opened a web studio that holds exercise classes, online training, worldwide webinars and has become one of the world’s largest online centres. In addition, the Centre now trains other health professionals on treating Parkinson’s and has helped Parkinson’s UK with a programme for newly diagnosed people. Colin, who has been living with Parkinson’s for 14 years, is still director of the Centre and is his own tour operator.

For more information on the European Parkinson Therapy Centre, or to make a donation, please scan the QR code.

The idea came to Graham when he discovered the original map his grandfather had used when he had escaped from Stalag 18a in 1944. Although his grandfather travelled all the way to Odessa the current situation in Ukraine made that impossible, so they finished in Thessaloniki in Greece.

The thin blue line traced on the map by his grandfather formed the basis of the 2000km route and Graham recalled that as his grandfather had suffered from mental health problems ever since the war he thought it would be a good cause for which to raise money.

Perhaps most surprising is that this was the first time either of them had taken on a multi-day bikepacking adventure, and Charles, by his own admission not a prolific cyclist, only got the bicycle he would use for the trip a few days before setting off. They checked the quality of the roads in advance using Google Streetview but that did not give them a sense of the traffic which proved to be the biggest challenge along with the often cold and wet conditions. One of the highlights was meeting the Greek prime minister at the finish.

There were a few setbacks. The perils of Brexit were evident when they reached the border to enter Serbia but were turned away as non-EU residents, forcing them to take a 40-mile detour to get into Romania. And on the fourth day Charles had a minor spill but his monitoring device “sent out a message to all my loved ones saying I had been involved in an horrific accident so I had to text everyone saying I was fine”.

To date, the pair have raised over £2500. You can learn more and donate to their charities by scanning the QR code.

RHINO CHARGE

In June, John Bowden (Cubitt 1973) and his team Gumtree 4x4 took part in the Rhino Charge, an annual off-road 4×4 competition held in Kenya that raises funds to support the activities of the Rhino Ark Kenya Charitable Trust. John has been Rhino Charging in Car 9 since 1997 and this year’s team won the unmodified class for the third year running and came 18th overall out of 40 starters. The 2023 Rhino Charge event again raised over £1 million.

John is a trustee of Rhino Ark UK and in addition to the Rhino Charge, this year they held a fundraising dinner in the City of London with renowned wildlife photographer, presenter and author, Jonathan Scott as the guest speaker. There were several OCs in attendance.

BORN FREE

Will Travers (1&4 South 1977) is executive president and co-founder of Born Free. In 1984 he started the Born Free Foundation alongside his parents, Bill Travers and Virginia McKenna. After a heart attack in June Will was determined to go ahead with his planned Walk on the Wildside which took place in August. This involved walking 20,000 steps in a day to raise money for the 20,000 lions left in the wild. He actually walked over 25,000, raising over £4,000. This is only one of the many wildlife projects Will and the Foundation support and raise funds for.

ALAN THE WONKY DOG

Dan Strutt (East 1997) has recently illustrated a children’s book written by his wife. It tells the story of Alan, a real dog born on a construction site in the Qatari desert. The book is largely based on how Alan came to live with Dan and his family and the full true story is detailed at the back — a heart-warming story of the lengths people will go to for man’s best friend: four homeless dogs were eventually flown to a shelter in the US and rehomed from there and Alan, who has a pronounced jaw defect that makes him look ‘wonky’, now lives with Dan and his family.

RIDE FOR MENTAL HEALTH

In May Graham Coult and Charles Henderson (both Cubitt 1993) cycled from the site of a former WW2 POW camp in Wolfsberg, Austria to Greece, raising funds for mental health charities.

If you buy the book you will be contributing to a fund to help homeless dogs. The book is available on Amazon or you can check out Alan’s Instagram page here [https://www.instagram.com/alanthewonkydog/].

Alan currently has 80,000 Instagram followers and 2.3 million followers on Tik Tok!

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STRAPXXXXXXXX

MUSIC FOR AUTISM INTERVIEW WITH PETER LAWRENCE (1 NORTH 1972)

Peter started at Cranleigh in 1967 when David Emms (whom he describes as scary) was Headmaster.

When asked about his many happy memories of his time at the School, the following stood out: “Listening to Cream, The Who, Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones perched atop our dorm wardrobes, like crows; drinking delicious unpasteurised milk straight from the churn; punishment runs up into Winterfold; croquet games on the grass outside 1 North; flying a glider down the rugby pitches and having the first two ‘full-time’ girls in my study... they were day girls and always arrived late for chapel — I would wait for them and walk them down the aisle, with clippy clappy shoes and 450 pairs of eyes glued on them.”

Peter retired from his role as Sales Director and part-owner of a major textile company in 2007 and since 2015 has been working with his wife Sally as founder and trustee of the Simon Trust, named for his own son, Simon. They and other parents realised that there was nowhere for their severely autistic young people to go when they left the relative ‘honeymoon’ of education. Often Social Services would send these very vulnerable young adults to far-off parts of the UK away from their friends and families, or else they would have to live at home, placing immense pressures on their families. Aside from the eye-watering costs (£250,000 per annum or more) for these out-of-county placements, having one’s son or daughter near the family unit is imperative to ensure the care package is working well and that they have sufficient and meaningful activities to do. People on the autism spectrum are wrongly called disabled; many are in fact very able in certain areas when given the necessary support and some on the less severe end of the spectrum end up hugely successful in the high-tech sector.

IN MAY NEXT YEAR, CRANLEIGH’S MUSIC DEPARTMENT WILL COLLABORATE WITH PETER LAWRENCE ON A SPECIAL MUSIC FOR AUTISM CONCERT. PETER, WHOSE SON SIMON LIVES WITH AUTISM, HAS SPENT ALMOST A DECADE SUPPORTING OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE TO LIVE FULL LIVES VIA HIS CHARITABLE TRUST, THE SIMON TRUST. IT’S A REMARKABLE STORY OF A DETERMINED FAMILY, A UNIQUE RESIDENTIAL SETTING AND A SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SCHOOL.

The Simon Trust found a six-acre plot of land in Alfold, a few miles from Cranleigh, and, after many setbacks, Surrey County Council agreed to build Linden Farm to accommodate 10 severely autistic young people. It opened in 2019 and is unique. It has three separate homes: a two-bed and a three-bed shared house and a unit with five individual flats. There is an activity centre providing facilities which include a swing, a 400m track, a state-of-the-art sensory room, a 35m Trim Trail and an extensive allotment to help those living there to have as full and meaningful a life as possible.

Finding the right care provider was key and Choice Care have provided the kindness and support that these people badly need. All the residents have 1:1 care and several have 2:1 care when out and about doing activities. These include: Sailability at Frensham; baking in Thakeham; arts and crafts in Guildford; trampolining; kite flying on the Downs; train rides; horse-riding; mucking out stables; litter picking and trips to the pub.

Thanks to Cranleigh’s Housemistress of South and Head of Voluntary Action, Bex Barker, an excellent relationship is being built up between Cranleigh School and the Charity. Several young people from Linden Farm visit the School on Wednesday afternoons to make use of the wonderful music facilities and, in May 2024, the main School music concert will be in aid of autism and The Simon Trust. There is a wonderful ‘anthem for autism’ initiated by Prior’s Court School, where seven of the residents at Linden Farm spent many of their teenage years, that the Music Department is going to perform: ‘Let me Shine — Live at Abbey Road’.

A MAJOR PARENTLED CAMPAIGN IS UNDERWAY TO SET UP MORE LINDEN FARMS AROUND THE UK

Helped by the Guardian and the BBC, a major parent-led campaign is underway to set up more Linden Farms around the UK. We are trying to persuade various Social Services that it is politically and socially correct to house these young people in-county, near friends and family. The charity gets so many heartrending stories from desperate parents and if anyone reading this can help with PR and publicity for our cause, then we would be very grateful.

The Simon Trust and the young people at Linden Farm look forward to meeting you at the concert in Speech Hall in May 2024.

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OLD CRANLEIGHAN CLUB

PLANS FOR THAMES DITTON

THE OLD CRANLEIGHAN SOCIETY HAS UNVEILED PROPOSED PLANS FOR THE EXTENSIVE RENOVATION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE OC CLUB AT THAMES DITTON.

Following the expansion of the Club by the purchase of the neighbouring Weston Green Sports Club in 2021, the OCS has been looking into the future of the overall site and the work required to futureproof the facilities. The two most ambitious plans are those for the construction of a new six-court indoor padel tennis centre and the construction of a second all-weather hockey pitch.

The padel tennis facility will be located on the northern boundary of the club. This will necessitate the demolition of the existing Weston Green clubhouse, which we have been advised is no longer a viable building and has already had to be mothballed.

The club will be one of the only indoor padel facilities in the south of England and as such will be able to be used all year. Because it is indoor it will not have the same noise and light issues which have been a problem with many outdoor courts. It is being entirely funded by third parties and will offer free membership to all members of the OC Society.

The second all-weather hockey pitch, which will be funded by the OC Hockey Club, is urgently needed as at present the OCHC has to rent two other grounds to cope with their 19 adult sides and 600 juniors. The development will include a warm-up area which will double up as netball courts and a junior football pitch.

Pressing concerns are the car park and the overall security of the site. The car park surface is inadequate and consultations with neighbours also made us aware it is noisy. A priority will be the redesign and resurfacing of parking across the entire site. We are also in discussions with the council with regards to traffic management plans. We will continue to do all we can to encourage users to cycle or walk to the Club, and additional bicycle racks will feature in the plans.

The security of the site and the safety of those using it is paramount. An increase in anti-social behaviour, some targeted at users as well as property, means we will be looking at solutions to protect the site.

The second phase of the building project will centre on the clubhouse. Built in 1928, this was designed to cope with four adult sides on a Saturday and, despite extensions in 1993, has long since outgrown current use. The plans will include a complete renovation of the changing rooms and toilets and the relocation and extension of the kitchen. Most of this work will be to the rear so the familiar façade will remain largely unaltered.

Planning applications will be submitted shortly following consultations with neighbours, club members, local councillors and Elmbridge BC.

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The Old Cranleighan 2023 | PAGE 23

24/11/2023 14:54

RODERIC BAILLIE-GROHMAN

BEING MY OWN BOSS

RODERIC BAILLIE-GROHMAN (1& 4 SOUTH 1975) TALKS TO US ABOUT HIS LIFE AS A STONEMASON

I shouldn’t have gone to university, but the ‘Careers Room’ was a gloomy hole and someone put an UCCA form in front of me and I filled it in: Biological Sciences at Sussex University. At the end of three entertaining years I scraped a 2:2 and, filled with horror at the milk round and what was on offer, I set off with a one-way ticket for 18 months of travel and casual work in Australia and Alaska. Still uncertain of a direction when I returned to the UK, I at least had a vague strategy; it was not to have a career that required an organisation around me to keep me employed, i.e. I wanted to be my own boss. Doing what was the question.

In Salisbury Market Place one day in summer 1982 I saw a person hanging on the outside of the cathedral spire in a bosun’s chair. I thought “now, that’s a job” and applied to the tech college at Weymouth (with its connections to Portland) to learn Architectural Stone Carving. However, having used my grant at Sussex I couldn’t afford the fees, so how to save up? I joined the police. Two years in Bristol Central and the St Pauls area followed, on patrol and sitting in vans doing overtime waiting for trouble to ‘kick off’ on Friday and Saturday nights. This was a difficult time for me for many of the reasons that are in the news today, so I was relieved when I was able to re-apply to Weymouth and start the course. I had the added bonus of now qualifying for Maggie Thatcher’s Training Opportunities Programme, so the savings went on the deposit for a house in Thorney (Thorn Island), on the Somerset Levels, where I still live with my wife Holly, a silversmith, 40 years on.

I had been introduced to Somerset by an eel fisherman I had met a few months before my finals. Michael Brown, who had gone to Marlborough College and Reading University, had started an eel export and smoking business. I came to Somerset to help him when I should really have been revising. The river Parrett at night, the quiet of the Levels, talking with the fishermen, it was a magical experience. Through Michael and his lovely Australian wife Utta I met my wife-to-be and fell in love with the area with its warm Hamstone buildings and hidden lanes. We are still close friends and neighbours, a life-changing chance meeting, so maybe my time at uni was not entirely wasted!!

My year at the training college was the most satisfying learning experience of my life, and I fumed as to why technical colleges weren’t proposed at school. I was even able to employ Mr Wilmot’s (Cranleigh Prep) trigonometry in setting out drawings for the more complex shapes. The course taught the skills needed to make the templates necessary for the carving of the complex shapes that go into buildings, e.g. tracery windows, cornices, pediments, arches, etc. and how to remove and replace the various elements in a building undergoing restoration.

The mix of trainees was very varied in age, sex and experience, from apprentices on ‘block release’ whilst working with their firms to general builders learning new skills and self-taught stonemasons consolidating

techniques. Martin Duncan-Jones, who had dropped out of studying Law at Oxford University, was one such. He had started a small masonry company in London and had an extremely busy time. We had many hilarious hours over the years comparing notes on our respective progress within the trade, with its daily successes, failures and struggles, all tinged by his delicious cynicism of authority. Before his untimely death he played a key role in saving the William Morris Museum in Walthamstow from thoughtless closure.

The lack of such training opportunities nowadays is a tragedy.

After achieving a City and Guilds Qualification I still needed the real practical experience to set me on my way. Fortunately, Wells Cathedral was undergoing a major project on the west front and I started in their banker (work bench) shop and got stuck in to gain valuable speed and experience in stone carving.

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RODERIC BAILLIE-GROHMAN

The 37-year restoration was completed under the auspices of the Clerk of Works, Gary Price, who started at the cathedral the same day as me as a 17-year-old saw operator.

The pressures of commuting to Salisbury daily from Thorney, coupled with a new young family, set me on the path of self-employment and I started work with a Hamstone quarryman near Yeovil. This gave me the flexibility to take on my own small jobs. I still work with masons that I met then and have become good friends with over the years. One in particular, Richard Sumner, started his apprenticeship at the age of 15 (whilst I was taking my O-Levels) and I remain grateful to this day for his experience happily passed on as I started taking on my own contracts.

I WANTED TO BE MY OWN BOSS. DOING WHAT WAS THE QUESTION

Carving involves an odd mixture of bullishness, confidence and care and I was lucky to have an exceptionally talented and irreverent foreman, Tony Steel, who gave me a tremendous introduction to this new and exciting world I found myself in. He sensibly put the confidence factor uppermost.

One day, shortly after I started, a large stone was plonked on my banker by the forklift, along with a batch of templates for the different sides. I set to with the air chisels and after a couple of days it was finished. Tony said “great job” and a new block was loaded onto my banker which I happily tucked into without inhibition. Months later I found that early stone hidden at the back of the yard. Useless! A terrible job! But my confidence levels had been boosted and I was on the way. Tony at present is working on Unesco training projects for Syrian stonemasons.

Coupled with the site work on the Wells south tower, which involved hauling up and fixing extremely large stones (some over one and a half tons), I was well set to move on to the restoration project imminently starting at Salisbury. The wheel had gone full circle. The Save Our Spire appeal started and a crow’s nest scaffold was erected on the top carved band of the 404ft spire. The three carved bands had become dangerously thin in places and a lot of replacement had become necessary. To facilitate stone removal we spent six months in the spire hauling up and fixing steel work to support the spire when stones were removed. New stonework was then trundled up the outside on a small rail track before fixing. At one point we had a 180-degree hole near the top spire, so the steelwork did its job!

Over the years stone conservation has become a major part of restoration projects so, again, new skills needed to be developed. For a while conservation was overdone and parts of buildings that took a beating from the weather were conserved with lime repairs that did not last very long. This was partly because of some architects’ single minded conservation ethic and partly because the masonry skills needed for replacement have been dwindling over the years with virtually no apprenticeships being offered and ‘conservation’ seeming an easier and cheaper option. I have had many conversations about this with a friend and National Trust building surveyor, Martin Archer (2 & 3 South 1975), over the years.

Life as a mason certainly has not been a romantic one though it has at least been varied, with being on the tools for 40 years and covered in dust for most of that time, up on a scaffolding one week and in the workshop carving a gravestone the next. The worry of a job taking longer than I thought, or a terrible weather forecast, coupled with the satisfaction of completing a job has made, on the whole, a good balance. I always wanted to remain ‘A Stonemason’ and not become ‘A Firm’. This helped me keep the pressures of work under a modicum of control.

I have, mainly, enjoyed my work on the many lovely churches and listed buildings in the Somerset area, and have learned to keep my mouth shut on bike rides with friends or family who are all fed up with hearing “Oh, look... I replaced the so and so on that church/house/wall.” Or “Gosh... fifteen years since I worked on that...”

Most importantly it has enabled a family life that could be planned between Holly and me without reference to any boss.

Job done, at 66, and after much soul searching I have started to retire.

Things are getting heavier, for some reason, and bits ache.

As you may have gathered, I wouldn’t recommend university to anyone unless they know exactly why they want to go. Other opportunities will arise and ideas develop. I was lucky to get a second chance in an era of no fees to repay and, looking back, I wouldn’t have done anything else other than start sooner.

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JOHN STANLEY PURVIS

POEMS OF THE GREAT WAR JOHN STANLEY PURVIS (MCR 1913-1938) WAS ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MEMBERS OF THE CRANLEIGH COMMUNITY IN THE INTER-WAR YEARS. HE WAS ALSO THE AUTHOR OF SOME WELL-KNOWN POETRY FROM WORLD WAR I AND A NEW BOOK HAS UNEARTHED MORE OF HIS WORK. Much has been written over the years about JS Purvis and his immense contribution to Cranleigh life. He arrived at the School in the autumn of 1913 and immediately threw himself into most aspects of school life, in particular the Officer Training Corps. Aside from teaching History, he made a mark with his sketching, poetry and, after the war, his photography. From 1914 until 1936, with the exception of his time in the army in WWI, he was Housemaster of 1 North.

HIS NAME LIVES ON IN THE PURVIS SOCIETY, WHICH WAS FOUNDED IN HIS HONOUR THE FOLLLOWING YEAR

His experience in the trenches shaped his future life, both physically and mentally. He was called up in late 1915 and served as an officer with the Yorkshire Regiment, where he took part in the opening day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. He was wounded two months later and invalided home, also suffering from shell shock. He went back to France in 1917 before relinquishing his commission the day after the Armistice. He returned to Cranleigh as soon as he arrived home and was a core part of life until he was forced to resign on health grounds in 1938. His name lives on in the Purvis Society, which was founded in his honour the following year.

Purvis was already writing poems when at Cambridge and this continued at Cranleigh and through to 1917, when he stopped. These were collected in a notebook he kept titled Verses and Fragments: Written at Cambridge, Cranleigh and in France. Two of the poems — ‘Chance Memory’ and ‘High Wood’ — have been known about for decades and ‘Chance Memory’ is widely regarded as one of the best lesser-known poems of World War I. These two were published — the first in 1916 and the second in early 1918 — under the pseudonym Phillip Johnston but the others remained undiscovered until after Purvis’s death in 1968. The core of this collection has recently been published for the first time as Verses and Fragments: Poems of the Great War, collated and edited by Professor Sue Mendes.

In the book Mendes speculates as to why Purvis remained so secretive about his work, repeating the long-accepted story that his identity as author was unknown until after his death in 1968. A year after that his sister, Hilda, confirmed the belief Purvis wanted to remain anonymous when she wrote that she had “often wanted to reveal the name of the author”. She added that ‘Chance Memory’, which was published in the Daily News on June 23rd 1916, was “sent without my brother’s knowledge to the press by a Quaker doctor serving with the Red Cross”.

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However, a recently discovered letter sent by Purvis to the Sunday Times and published on 27th January 1924 makes clear that he sent the poem to a friend in England, presumably with the intention of it being published, otherwise he would have had no need to provide a nom-de-plume. The one used, he said, should have been Philip Johnston “but he had, I believe, difficulty with my handwriting”. Purvis, as a serving officer, knew the problems of having a poem published under his name, hence the pseudonym.

VERSES AND FRAGMENTS:

In March 1917 Purvis, after a period of recuperation at Cranleigh, returned to France. Three months later he received the news his younger brother, George, had been killed in action. He was 24. A note in pencil on the back of the manuscript of ‘High Wood’, which he wrote on 2nd June 1917, simply notes: “GBP killed June 8, 1917. News brought June 16.”

An article about ‘High Wood’ and Purvis taking a school trip to visit the battlefields in 1921 was published on page 20 of the 2021 Old Cranleighan magazine.

His last poem, ‘In Memoriam’, is dated July 1917 and then he appears to have stopped. It seems likely his brother’s death, his own experiences as well as the war’s impact on his own physical and mental health, left him without the desire to continue. Mendes speculates that his poems remained private as they were “simply too personal and too painful to be offered for publication”.

There was one final poem which he wrote on his return to Cranleigh in November 1918. Shortly before leaving for France he had written ‘Valedictory’ for The Cranleighan. It was a patriotic offering typical of the time. His last offering was more reflective and sombre. ‘Farewell In War Time’ appeared in The Cranleighan the following month.

Purvis did, for a short time until his health started to fail, resume helping with the OTC but he rarely referred to his time in the trenches. One exception was on Armistice Day 1934 when he gave a very personal, moving pacifist address in Chapel. Against the backdrop of the rise of fascism in Europe, he spoke of the war memorials across the country: “They speak for ever of four years of the most ghastly waste in history, waste and ruin on a scale so dreadful that they defeat the imagination and the understanding. The awful, awful slaughter, the unspeakable sorrows of thousands upon thousands of mothers.”

His faith, always strong, increasingly became his life. He was ordained in 1932 and after two bouts of pneumonia and worsening asthma he moved back to his native Yorkshire, on medical advice. He continued to serve the church for another three decades.

Poems of the Great War, collated and edited by Professor Sue Mendes (Borthwick Publications) can he bought for £8 from the University of York online store (https://store.york.ac.uk/)

CHANCE MEMORY I can’t forget the lane that goes from Steyning to the Ring In summertime, and on the Down how larks and linnets sing High in the sun. The wind comes off the sea, and Oh! The air!

I never knew till now that life in old days was so fair But now I know it in this filthy rat-infested ditch When every shell must kill or spare, and God alone knows which And I am made a beast of prey, and this trench is my lair My God! I never knew till now that those days were so fair.

And we assault in half an hour, and it’s a silly thing: I can’t forget the lane that goes from Steyning to the Ring.

This poem is dated 2nd December 1915 which would have been in the last fortnight of the Michaelmas term and days before he joined his regiment.

FAREWELL IN WAR TIME Were I to be remembered by a word To all you here One word of all I said or wished to say Of earth’s last day Came to me on a sudden, as it may.

Were I to be remembered by a deed In days to be Which might be tin forgot, whate’er befall Among you all What word or deed would I have you recall?

Look past all imperfection of my speech Or deed ill done; Think only, there was one who loved you well Yet could not tell How great the love was, till the day he fell.

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THE 2023 FASTNET RACE

THE ULTIMATE TEST

FIFTY YEARS AFTER LEAVING CRANLEIGH, AMATEUR SAILOR SIMON JOLLANDS (CUBITT 1973) TOOK PART IN WHAT IS WIDELY CONSIDERED TO BE ONE OF THE WORLD’S TOUGHEST OFFSHORE RACES

[1]

The Fastnet Race was founded in 1925 and is held every two years. The 695-nautical-mile (800-mile) race is named after the Fastnet Rock, the most southerly point of Ireland 8nm from the mainland, which the course rounds 356nm from the start in Cowes. Competitors then head to the finish in Cherbourg.

Earlier this year I was invited to enter by my friend and neighbour Barnaby Wiener, joining skipper John Gillard and six others on Lancelot II, a Beneteau First 40. Fifty years after leaving Cranleigh, I told myself it is now or never. John is a professional sailor and runs Plan B, an organisation based in Gosport that provides vocational training in the marine sector for young adults unable to engage with mainstream education. Two staff members from Plan B, one a former trainee, were also on the crew.

The race is organised by the Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) and strict rules apply for entry. Prior to the Fastnet, we took part in two RORC qualifier races, the Morgan Cup from Cowes to Dartmouth and the Cowes to St Malo race, which we successfully completed. This enabled us to familiarise ourselves with the boat and prepare for the main event.

Come start day on Saturday 22nd July a south-westerly gale was heading towards Cowes. Large crowds congregated by the Royal Yacht Squadron while others braved the wind and rain elsewhere on the Solent shore to watch the 430 boats set off, a record number of entries for the race. As we waited for our 14:00hrs start the massive 100ft trimarans and Imoca 60s headed off first, a truly awesome spectacle. Given the severe weather warnings we decided to hoist the storm jib and reef the main, which proved to be a wise decision. We had an excellent start and tacked our way down the western Solent headlong into the strengthening wind.

LANCELOT II WAS GOING ALONG LIKE A BUCKING BRONCO AND EVERYONE WAS HANGING ON WITH SAFETY HARNESSES ATTACHED

[2]

As the fleet negotiated their way towards the Needles rocks off the Isle of Wight the Solent was in full ebb, the wind 30+ knots on the nose — resulting in a vicious wind-against-tide sea state. Rather ominously we began to notice that boats were turning back because of the conditions. Lancelot II was going along like a bucking bronco and everyone was hanging on with safety harnesses attached. We chose to keep on going and exited the Solent into Christchurch Bay. By going this northern channel route rather than via the Needles we would have the option to shelter in Poole Harbour should the conditions continue to worsen.

The first 24 hours were brutal with winds gusting to 43 knots (force 9/ severe gale) and sharp 5-6m seas. HM Coastguard answered 28 incidents through the night. Witnessing these conditions and hearing the Maydays and Pan-Pans over the VHF was truly harrowing. One boat sank and there were several dismastings. Twenty-four hours into the race more than 100 yachts had retired and eventually 166 were to do so. We knew that keeping safe was our top priority and prepared ourselves for the challenge ahead, knowing that two more storms had been forecast.

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THE 2023 FASTNET RACE

With nine crew on board, John divided us into two watches of four, leaving him to spend time with both watches while allowing himself short naps and occasional longer rests over the coming days. Each watch had three hours on and three hours off during the nights, followed by a four-hour watch during daylight to stagger the 24-hour pattern. In theory this was fine, but sleeping down below during the rough weather was not at all easy. It takes a couple of days to adjust to being at sea during the best of times. Most of us slept in our foul-weather gear during the stormy weather as wet gear takes ages to get on and off, especially in bouncy conditions.

Crew morale was excellent, despite half of us being seasick during the first couple of days. Yes, this did interfere with, but never entirely dampened, our high spirits — after all we were racing in the Fastnet, not on a pleasure cruise.

The Fastnet is tactically demanding for navigators. There are multiple tidal gates to contend with as well as the unpredictable weather patterns found both in the English Channel and Celtic Sea, all of which keep the navigators on their toes.

Once into the Channel, the first tidal gate to be aware of is Portland Bill, off the Dorset coast. The Bill is notorious for its strong tidal race and it is bad news if the tide is against you when you reach it, as happened to us.

Added to this the wind dropped off so we headed offshore to keep clear of the race. We had better luck at Start Point, the second tidal gate, where the tide was with us.

At 07:00hrs on 24th July we rounded the Lizard, the southernmost point of the British mainland and site of many maritime disasters. Later that morning we had Land’s End in sight, less than 48 hours after leaving Cowes, a straight-line distance of 180nm. After all the hiatus at the start, the whole experience as we approached Land’s End was completely different. There were few yachts in sight, the sea state was moderate by then and it felt like we had the ocean to ourselves.

All boats have to carry a YB Tracker unit for the race so we could keep an eye on how other competitors were doing by using the YB Tracker app when our phones had signal. We could also monitor progress on the boat’s chart plotter, which had a built-in AIS, the automatic identification system that uses transceivers to track vessels at sea. Another offshore racing regulation is that boats have to be equipped with AIS transponders.

By now crew members had become accustomed to the watch system, though some found this harder than others. The team spirit was excellent, there was a non-stop flow of tea, soup, pot noodles and snacks, with everyone taking turns boiling the kettle and helping out. We had brought frozen lasagnes, curries and stews, which we heated up in the galley and then served in stainless steel dog bowls, far more user-friendly than landbased crockery in the lumpy seas.

After we rounded Land’s End there was a growing sense of anticipation that we would soon be heading across the Celtic Sea to the iconic rock and its famous lighthouse. This would surely prove to be a photo opportunity like no other.

[3]

[4]

1. Simon Jollands helming Lancelot II 2. Waiting for our start

We knew from the forecasts and pre-race weather briefing that there was another weather front due to approach us from the northwest. Would it hit us before we rounded the rock? When would the wind shifts come?

Our skipper John’s considerable navigational skill and experience really

3. Beneteau First 40 Rogan Josh 4. Celebrating in Cherbourg

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IT WAS NOT EXACTLY THE MOMENT OF EXTREME ELATION WE HAD EAGERLY ANTICIPATED, BUT THERE WAS NO QUESTION WE HAD FOUND THE ROCK

counted here; he was continually thinking ahead and plotting the best course that would take account of the predicted conditions.

Another race rule is that competitors must not enter areas designated as ‘Obstructions’, including all Traffic Separation Schemes (TSS). One of these is a 200-square-mile area west of Land’s End which lies right in the way of a direct route to the Rock. We chose to avoid this by heading northeast up the Cornish coast before altering course towards the Rock.

The swells increased significantly after Land’s End and it was quite some time before we changed course and headed out into the Celtic Sea. Fully expecting conditions to deteriorate, we were all surprised when the next day the wind dropped completely, the clouds disappeared and we found ourselves in a flat calm. The afternoon of 25th July was warm and there we were, halfway across the Celtic Sea, 80nm from land in T-shirts and shorts. On went the music and there was not much left to do except enjoy the sunshine.

While everyone began to relax Chris (aka Obelisk) happened to look up the mast and noticed that something did not look right near the top of the track. One of the sliders had come adrift and a batten was poking

out of the mainsail. We decided to lower the main and take a closer look but soon discovered that the main would not budge and was not going to come down. Suddenly, this was serious. We needed to rectify this before the wind picked up again. It was decided that 19-year-old Adam would go aloft in the bosun’s chair to take a closer look and within a few minutes everyone was focused on helping. Over the next hour he was able to take the damaged slider off and push the batten back into the sail to allow the sail to be lowered. Thanks to Adam’s efforts we managed to get the mainsail down and carry out an effective repair on the deck.

Later on the wind picked up and we were on the move again. We sailed into the night, changing watches every three hours with everyone doing their best to keep the boat going as fast as possible. The closer we got to the Rock, the slower we seemed to go. Added to this, it was a very dark night and the visibility became worse. On a clear night the Fastnet light can be seen from 18nm away, but as we slowly approached it there was no sign of the light, so we relied on instruments to ensure we were on the right course.

Eventually, at 05:40hrs on 26th July, out of the gloom we spotted a dark triangular shadow two or three hundred metres away. Even at this close distance we could only just make out the light flashing through the fog.

It was not exactly the moment of extreme elation we had eagerly anticipated, but there was no question we had found the rock. Now all we had to do was navigate our way around it and head back the way we had come from.

My wife Clara had made us a rum-soaked fruit cake which we saved to celebrate the rounding of the rock. This cake was swiftly devoured and tasted exceptionally good, even at 06:00hrs.

As we headed back south, the wind picked up and within an hour or so we were bombing along at 9kts with the wind behind us, all feeling great. The sea state also changed quite rapidly and our speed increased, reaching 13kts as we surfed down the waves. Now we were heading towards the Scilly Isles and the skipper was hoping for a 200-mile day, the best yet.

We had a minor calamity during the charge down the Celtic Sea when the mast and cockpit instruments, including the digital compass, began malfunctioning. To make things worse Hereward, who was helming at the time, had a nasty fall onto the cockpit’s instruments, including the digital compass, breaking them in the process. It was a spectacular crash but luckily he was all right. During daylight this did not present too much of a problem, as we still had the bulkhead compass to steer by. However, at night it was a different story as the compass light had failed. Luckily I had a powerful head torch that could hold its charge through the night, so we rigged this up to illuminate the compass.

The next morning we were back in the English Channel, having left the Scilly Isles to port during the night of the 27th. At 07:00hrs on 28th July we were passing Alderney to starboard, continuing to make very good progress towards Cherbourg. We were now on the final leg with the spinnaker up and enjoying some exceptional sailing. At 12:09hrs on 28th July we crossed the finish line outside the entrance to Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, France. Needless to say, we were all absolutely elated to have successfully finished the Fastnet Race, coming 42nd in IRC 1B and 188th overall, and had a fabulous celebration ashore.

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A FAMILY AFFAIR ED ADAMS (2 NORTH 1988) TALKED TO US ABOUT HIS FAMILY BUSINESS, EW ADAMS & SONS

In 1993, after a year exploring the world and an average degree in Business, I finally joined the family jewellery manufacturing business, founded by my grandfather over 80 years before. I wasn’t actually that keen. My father was pushing me to join, keen to sort succession, so I promised him one year, no strings attached. The business definitely needed some young blood. It wasn’t initially the most exciting workplace environment, but I soon fell for the allure of gemstones and diamonds.

I learned all about stones from my father; he had a great eye for the finest stones and we spent hours together meeting gemstone and diamond dealers from all four continents. It was fascinating; aquamarines and golden topaz from Brazil, emeralds from Columbia, sapphires from Sri Lanka, rubies from Burma, black opals from Australia, diamonds of all shapes and sizes from Mumbai, the list goes on and on — you never quite knew what they would pull out of the bag! We saw and bought some amazing stones together and over the following 10 years I gradually learned all there is to know. My father was a master of negotiation, so another key skill was learned.

As the business grew, so did the need for more stones and better prices.

So I began to travel to buy, initially to major cutting centres like Bangkok, where most of the world’s finest sapphires and rubies are cut, but also to large international trade shows in Hong Kong and the US. Weeks away on buying trips finding and building relationships with the best suppliers of the finest stones were brilliant; I loved every minute. When I look back, my time at school, and specifically the overseas sports tours we made, gave me the desire to do this.

However, buying the stones was only the first part of our process: they needed to be made into fine jewellery. So the next big learning curve was the many processes involved in creating fine jewellery. It takes at least 10 years to learn the remarkable skills of a ring mounter, diamond and gemstone setter or jewellery polisher, and I definitely lacked the patience for such detailed work. So, while I did not actually sit on the jeweller’s bench and learn the skills first-hand, it was crucial for me to learn in detail every process involved. The business is hugely fortunate to employ numerous highly skilled craftsmen who have worked for us since their apprenticeship — some still here 40 years later! — all working in our own London workshops. This in-house skill is a crucial part of our business and invaluable in consistently creating pieces of the very highest quality. The skills involved have remained largely unchanged over the years, however laser machines and CAD now form key parts of our processes.

We now produce fine quality diamond- and gem-set jewellery for the UK market, supplying many of the country’s finest independent jewellery stores as well as some leading department stores. Over the years we have built very strong relationships with these businesses to fully understand what products, designs and styles they require and, to service this network of clients, we carry a huge inventory of fine jewellery. Together with my sister, we have created jewellery brands for some of our larger customers, including London Road Jewellery and EW Adams Jewellery. This has involved some design flair, so the hours spent in the Cranleigh Art and Design School paid off!

A growing area of our business, and one of my favourites, is making highend bespoke jewellery and rings for our clients. This process usually starts with the acquisition of a large gemstone or diamond, then we work closely with the customer, often using CAD designs with 3D imagery, to create their perfect piece. In fact we have made numerous bespoke engagement rings for OC friends, which has been really fun.

Only time will tell if the next generation of the family, currently at Cranleigh, will follow in my footsteps…

I PROMISED HIM ONE YEAR, NO STRINGS ATTACHED

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RECORD BID

UNDERGROUND, OVERGROUND IN THE SPRING OF 1963, FOUR 1 NORTH UPPER SIXTH FORMERS MADE NATIONAL HEADLINES WHEN THEY ATTEMPTED TO BREAK THE RECORD FOR THE QUICKEST TIME TAKEN TO VISIT EVERY STATION ON THE LONDON UNDERGROUND.

On Monday, 29th April 1963 the Daily Express carried a report headlined “Schoolboys claim Tube record” which stated that two days earlier the four Sixth Formers “claimed a new entry for Cranleigh public school’s record book — round the London Underground in 15 hours 8 minutes. The boys — Nicholas Rogers, Michael Price, Tor Justad, a Norwegian, and Bob Woods, an American — said they were able to beat the record by working out an exact timetable.”

The first attempt was made in 1959 and the Guinness Book of Records recognised it from 1960.

In the earlier days of the challenge, participants were permitted to use private forms of transport (such as a car or bike) to move between stations. This led to times of less than 16 hours in some earlier records, and Guinness later changed the rules to ban private transport. At the time the quartet staged their attempt the record stood at 18 hours nine minutes.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Daily Express article was light on accuracy, but the gist of the report was true. Woods recalled what was behind the attempt. “The planning was very much the work of Nick and Michael,” he said. “While we all contributed to the purchase of the London Transport timetables, they apportioned the work in finding the best way primarily among each other. As I remember, there was some controversy on where to start and then the route.

“After some evident failures, Michael (I think) had the idea of considering the whole network as three north/south units, and that moved to the historical approach (i.e. considering when each ‘new’ section was brought into the system and why). The combination of the two was the plan finally adopted.

It required a major bit of coordination.”

THEIR TIMES WAS 15 HOURS AND 7 MINUTES, USING 37 TRAINS AND 12 CAR LIFTS

Carrying basic supplies — energy pills, dried apricots, chicken and ortaniques — the quartet caught their first train from Ongar at around 5am. “Day travelcards could only be purchased for the day of travel and we knew the ticket office at the first station would be shut. Fortunately we wrote to London Transport who sold us four day-seasons in advance.

“Parents and Old Cranleighans proved essential in moving us quickly for the above ground parts between stations.” Price’s father got up at 2am and drove over 400 miles during the course of the day. “We ran between several stations, particularly in the City and, I vividly remember, between New Cross and New Cross Gate in order to make the necessary connections. We debated whether to include the Drain (Waterloo & City line) or not and in the end decided that, since it was British Rail and not LT, it was not necessary. It did, however, prove necessary because of a cancelled train on the Metropolitan Line.”

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RECORD BID

Justad said, “it was a battering ordeal of running into, out of, to, from and through these stations, hurling ourselves into moving cars and finally catching five minutes’ sleep, only to be awakened and told that we had four minutes to reach a station three miles away in Saturday rush-hour traffic..”

“The original plan meant that we would beat the existing record by 105 minutes,” Woods said. “In the end we barely made it. We had to prove that we visited all stations. We thought any station authority’s signature would be sufficient. At certain hours they were hard to find and several did not want to sign. As I remembered we took the number of the underground carriage and asked any fellow traveller to sign.

“Another problem was the possibility of certain stations being closed and/ or abandoned; it was determined that passing through a station met the definition of ‘traveling to’ it. Back then, many stations existed with little justification in terms of passenger use and some, like Aldwych, were open briefly during peak hours. The Olympia spur was also a problem; and for the life of me I don’t remember how we solved it — it must have involved a run back to Earl’s Court.”

There were other hurdles, including a 20-minute delay in a tunnel. “There were no informative electronic sign boards informing passengers when the next train would arrive or even where the train was going, although we usually could find staff who did seem to know. The design-praised map of Harry Beck allowed for quick movement between lines while underground as well as the approximate journey times but it also conflated stations of different lines that were geographically different. So, more running.

“I don’t even want to think of the small stations where the ticket collector, lift-operator, and ticket office attendant were all the same person who often locked the gates on those functions he was not performing at the time, causing those like us to wait and to queue to the next rush.

“Those whom we met on the tube were, for the most part both amused and supporting of our efforts; and, with the exception of the evening rush, extremely pleasant. In all, as I remember, the weather was fine. It all worked out. And, I was again impressed with the ingenuity of Michael and Nick in solving a very difficult problem. Any of us now could probably program a PC to layout the route and its alternates quickly with free access to the timetable data. Back then, it was done by Sixth-Form brain power.”

The record was never certified by the Guinness Book of Records. The official verifier reported that “only 259 of 273 stations were visited, based on the evidence the team submitted”. As it was a Saturday, Aldwych was closed, as was Olympia as there was no exhibition on. They also missed New Cross Gate; an explanation for that might be that they arrived at New Cross on the Tube, ran to New Cross Gate and took a British Rail train from there, so it was deemed not to count. Therefore, they did not complete the system and set the record. But it was a valiant and exhausting attempt.

Their time was 15 hours and 7 minutes, using 37 trains and 12 car lifts. The whole journey, over 250 miles, cost them a Twin Rover ticket (50p) each, plus an additional fare to stations not covered by the Rover.

Robert Woods’ photo of Nick Rogers.

Michael Price and Tor Justad about to board the first train at Ongar.

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THE REPAIR SHOP

A CORNUCOPIA OF DAMAGED GOODS TREVOR BUTTERFIELD (1 NORTH 2000) AND INGO NYAKAIRU (EAST 1997) BOTH WORK ON THE BBC’S REPAIR SHOP. WE TALKED TO THEM ABOUT THE SHOW AND THEIR JOURNEYS TO GET THERE.

Although Trevor (left) and Ingo (right) crossed over at Cranleigh, they only really met a few years ago while working in the television industry, and during conversations it emerged they had both been to the School. In 2023 they were again paired up on the latest series of the BBC’s hugely popular The Repair Shop, a show described by The Guardian as “so goodnatured and pure, so wholesome and nice, that at times it seems too good for this cold and cynical world”.

At Cranleigh, Trevor said, “I spent a lot of my time down in the Art Department where I felt creatively supported by Peter McNiven. I enjoyed getting involved in the stage production and set design of the house and school plays. I guess I was always drawn towards all things creative. After Cranleigh, I headed off to art school, which eventually paved the way to study Film, Television and Media at the University of the West of England.

My career in television did not kick off until my late twenties when I started as a runner on a show called Cowboy Builders. Bit by bit, over the last 12 years, I gradually climbed the ladder to director.”

Ingo’s path into TV was even less direct. “When I left Cranleigh I had no idea what I planned to do. First I went up to Nottingham to study Industrial Management. Why, I have no idea! I then decided to follow my true passion, which was music, so I got a Music degree and started a band called Fortune Drive alongside fellow Cranleighans Bobby Anderson (East 1997), Alan Akehurst (East 1997) and Mark Bent (2 North 1995), and a hugely talented bass player, Andy Lowe. That kept us busy through to our late twenties when we were dropped by our label. A year later I got my first job in TV on Noel Edmonds’ Deal Or No Deal leading a team of runners and then gradually worked my way up from there. Over the past 15 years I’ve been lucky enough to film all over the globe and meet some amazing people along the way and my plan is to not take anything for granted, keep pushing myself and enjoy the journey.”

And so to The Repair Shop. Launched in 2017 as a cheap half-hour daytime filler on BBC Two, it moved to BBC One and then, in 2020, was elevated to a one-hour prime-time slot where it attracts an audience of almost seven million. The format has been sold to half a dozen countries.

Ingo works as the series director, a role which sees him overseeing filming and the production team on location and across all the directing and editing of the show. Trevor is the shooting producer/director. His role includes shooting and producing the experts’ repairs in the iconic Court Barn setting.

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THE SHOW IS SUCH A JOY TO WORK ON. IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST SHOOTING TEAMS IN TELEVISION, LED EXCELLENTLY BY INGO. IT WAS SUCH A GREAT EXPERIENCE TO FILM ON SUCH A WONDERFUL AND POPULAR SHOW. The Old Cranleighan 2023 | PAGE 35

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THE REPAIR SHOP

Ingo has been working for 15 years in the television industry and previous producer/ director credits include: I Am A Killer (Netflix), Europe From Above (Nat Geo), The 15 Billion Pound Railway (BBC Two).

Trevor has been working for 12 years in the television industry and previous producer/ director credits include: Food Unwrapped (Channel 4), Love Your Garden (ITV) Amazing Cleans (Channel 5).

How do they pick the items given to the specialists to repair? “For the last series there were just over 100 repairs and normally you have four fixes per show,” Ingo explained. “As you can imagine there are thousands of applications that come through to The Repair Shop’s casting team and they are the ones who will decide what comes into the barn. For myself, directing in the barn, I just get told what’s coming a week in advance and I’m always blown away by the items and the stories that come through.”

“At any given moment we’ve got multiple fixes and repairs in progress, some taking just a few days, while others stretch on for months,” Trevor said. “Wrangling all these different stories and figuring out which parts to film for the show can be a real challenge.”

Ingo said one of the key aspects of the show is the history of the item being repaired. “We have to make sure that the story that the visitors to the barn come in to tell comes across in the best way possible. Every person that visits the barn has a huge attachment to the item they bring in and there is normally an emotional story behind it. Getting that across to the viewer in the right way and doing it justice is always a huge challenge which we do our best to hopefully fulfil.”

Watching from home, viewers often wonder if there are items which prove even beyond the amazing craftspeople who feature on the show. Ingo admitted there have been some very difficult jobs. “But these specialists are at the top of their game and are the best within their industries, so the majority of the time they will always work out a way to get the job done.

If they do come across the odd hurdle they have the rest of the experts within the barn to help them work out a way to figure out even the trickiest of conundrums. I have yet to see an expert not be able to complete a fix... they are truly amazing. Sometimes I see items that come in which I think are a lost cause, there is no way they can be repaired. But with their years of experience and natural talent they always find a way to complete a fix and in 99% of cases they exceed all expectations, which is probably what brings on all the tears inside and outside the barn.”

Out of all the repairs which have featured, is there one which stands out?

“There are so many that are memorable, some because they are extra challenging for the experts, some because of their amazing story and some because the items are unique, so it’s quite hard to pick out specific ones. One thing I do know is I learnt a lot working on The Repair Shop.

I definitely will try and fix a few more of the broken items I have lying around in my garage.”

Trevor singled out one which will feature in this year’s Christmas Special.

“It was a broken record player that had been a present for a mother from her son who had sadly passed away. While the item was not a particularly

If any OC is looking to get into the TV industry, please contact Trevor at Trevbutterfield@gmail.com

complicated repair there was so much emotion attached to it there was not a dry eye among the crew as the mother heard it playing again during the reveal.”

Another question people ask is whether they actually film in the barn itself. “Yes, the barn is a real one, not just a studio mock-up,” Trevor said.

“It’s actually part of the Weald and Down Living Museum near Chichester.

While the barn is off-limits to the public during filming, we often have enthusiastic onlookers and fans watching from a viewing area outside.

Sometimes, our security guard has to step in to keep them out of our shots. Despite its serene appearance on TV, the barn is close to a noisy road and interruptions from passing lorries or overhead planes are par for the course when filming on location.”

“We film in the barn for approximately six months of the year,” Ingo said.

“To be honest, after working in TV for 15 years it’s actually probably one of the best locations I’ve filmed in. We are based in the country, have catering for lunch. What more could anyone want? If I were to pick a tiny disadvantage, it would be that it can get chilly at times and, unlike Trevor, I hate the cold.”

So why is the show so popular? “I think the success comes down to the stories behind the items and people you see come into the barn.

Sometimes you see items come in that seem so simple but then, once you hear the story behind them, you feel like you get an insight into the owners, their families, a lesson in history and then you realise the magnitude of how much it means to these brave individuals who are willing to share their stories in the barn. Once you have heard the story, a huge amount of pressure is placed onto the talented experts to bring back happy memories for the individuals who have brought in these broken items and they really do feel that pressure, but once they complete the fix then seeing the joy and happiness on the faces of the people who have left their prize possessions in the hands of the experts is a pleasure to be a part of, both inside the barn and as a viewer. In short, bringing joy to people makes it a success.”

Trevor agreed. “It comes from the passion and skill of our expert crafts people. They really pour their hearts and souls into every repair. The transformations they achieve are nothing short of spectacular, leaving our contributors in awe when they’re reunited with their beloved items.

It’s that pure joy that tugs at the heartstrings of everyone watching, that leaves them with a smile and perhaps a tear or two.”

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NICHOLAS DIMBLEBY

THEY ARE GONE, AND HERE MUST I REMAIN CELEBRATED SCULPTOR NICHOLAS DIMBLEBY (2 NORTH 1964) COMPLETED ANOTHER WONDERFUL INSTALLATION THIS YEAR. In October 2022 Nicholas Dimbleby’s stunning statue of the celebrated English Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge was unveiled in Coleridge’s home town of Ottery St Mary in Devon, 250 years to the day after the poet’s birth.

The statue, situated outside St Mary’s Church, was commissioned by the Coleridge Memorial Trust and was in part paid for by Crowdfunding instigated by the Trust.

A life-size figure cast in bronze, it stands on a specially chosen granite rock and depicts Coleridge standing with his notebook in hand, gazing from the churchyard towards the site of the schoolhouse where he was born. It is inscribed with several lines from his poem ‘Frost at Midnight’ which refers to the church tower beneath which it stands.

‘With unclosed lids, already had I dreamt Of my sweet birth-place, and the old church-tower, Whose bells, the poor man’s only music, rang From morn to evening, all the hot Fair-day’ “I was inspired by the fact that he had written of the churchyard as his playground when a child,” Dimbleby said. “In the poem ‘Frost at Midnight’ he refers to hearing the bells of St Mary’s in his head, when far away at Christ’s Hospital school in London. Given a free rein, I captured a moment when, walking near a cliff edge, he has stopped, and in his mind’s eye, looks towards his birthplace and hears the bells in the tower. This gave the work an energy and contrapposto that seemed to reflect his nature.”

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CRANLEIGH SCHOOL ROUND UP

ALL ROUND EXCELLENCE OVERVIEW OF THE SCHOOL’S ACTIVITIES IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2022-2023.

SCHOOL NEWS

The Independent Schools’ Inspectorate (ISI) revisited the school for the first time since 2018 and Headmaster, Martin Reader, announced his decision to retire at the end of the coming academic year. He will be succeeded by Cranleigh’s first ever female Head, Samantha Price, who will take over the helm in September 2024 after a highly successful 10-year tenure as Head at Benenden School — an appropriate statement in the year that will see the school celebrate its 25th anniversary of full co-education.

Outstanding performances in the public exams were particularly pleasing against the challenging context in which they were taken and echoed the findings of the ISI inspection: “Pupils demonstrate an extremely high level of achievement in their academic studies and co-curricular activities.” Team Cranleigh has worked hard together to ensure our learning is thoughtful, modern and relevant and so it was a pleasure to hear that reflected in the assessment of the team of Inspectors from the Independent Schools Inspectorate who rated us as “excellent” in every category during their visit in the Michaelmas term. They praised both the co-curricular and academic programmes and recognised the strength of our pupil leaders who “work hard to instil an inclusive, supportive culture in the school.”

Tracy Crowder-Cloe was appointed as Principal of Cranleigh Abu Dhabi, and Cranleigh International welcomed the newest member of the family during the last year as Cogdel Cranleigh High School Wuhan opened its doors to students in September 2022. The school boasts world-class facilities, aiming to deliver a co-curricular approach and provide a genuine Cranleigh experience for its students.

Work on the building of the new gym, dance studios and squash courts continues apace, with the facility due to open in January 2024.

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CRANLEIGH SCHOOL ROUND UP

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CRANLEIGH SCHOOL ROUND UP

SPORT In this academic year, we won tournaments (Rosslyn Park Plate rugby sevens & Hampton Sevens and competed in national finals (ISFA U18 football Shield and U18 Girls’ indoor hockey). We have beaten the likes of Tonbridge and Whitgift in 1st XI boys’ cricket and managed to beat the MCC in girls’ cricket for the second time running. We have competed in U18 Tier 1 cup hockey leagues for girls and boys and helped produce high-performing and international athletes at age-group level throughout various sports. We also have a nationally-ranked swimmer (U18 women’s breaststroke champion) plus a high-performing skier and a national netballer. We have netball, hockey, rugby, and cricket players involved in elite academies for various age groups. Our equestrian programme is arguably the best in the country and continues to win titles both collectively and individually. We also have a golfer who came third in the recent HMC U18 order of merit at the age of 16. We saw a win ratio at 1st-team level across all our sports at 65%.

We have fielded roughly 141 teams, playing nearly 800 matches (not including tournaments) with a win ratio of 55% across all of those teams.

We believe a healthy school programme is one where pupils in any given match have a realistic chance to win or lose, so to be at 55% is great. We have seen mass participation and growing numbers in several sports (tennis, rugby and girls’ cricket).

Girls’ cricket at Cranleigh continues to go from strength-to-strength Following the introduction of Saturday fixtures and a full-time training schedule in 2022, this year saw the introduction of a 2nd XI and regular Saturday fixtures for two teams. With more than 30 girls now participating in weekly training and matches throughout the summer, competition for places is getting stiffer and the overall standard of play is rapidly improving.

Football at Cranleigh will never be the same again. The 1st XI impressed in their maiden entry to a national competition (ISFA Shield Cup), ending it as runners-up. The dedication of the players and coaches meant Cranleigh was consistently able to compete against schools who play two terms of football. The final against RGS was definitely within the team’s ability to win, since they had already beaten them heavily. However, defensive errors early in the second half meant we found ourselves 2-0 down and we were unable to recover, eventually losing 4-0.

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CRANLEIGH SCHOOL ROUND UP

PERFORMING ARTS MUSIC It is always tempting to calibrate success through a list of high-level achievements and accolades, diploma and exam successes, spectacular concerts and productions, and the large-scale public events which the Music Department facilitates across all areas of school life. These are to be celebrated, of course, but in many ways it is the less noticeable and day-to-day successes that define our ethos.

It is the extraordinary quality of the whole School singing in Chapel (particularly in the joy and over-exuberance of our Sixth Form leavers’ final rendition of The Holy City), the Fourth Form string quartet who arrange and rehearse a piece for a concert by themselves, and the fact that the choir can sing in five languages in the Advent Carol Service and the orchestra can perform a movement of a Berlioz Symphony, the complete Bach Concerto for Two Violins (with three different soloists) and a Count Basie Big Band number in the same concert.

It is our ability to encourage a Sixth Former to compose a piece for orchestra and then learn to conduct it with a real symphony orchestra, or to celebrate a young songwriter’s very personal output in a rock concert that features all year groups performing as equals.

It is the joy on the faces of residents of care homes as they hear three pupils perform for them, the sensitivity and respect with which the wind band accompany the village Remembrance Service, the exceptional independent hard work that goes into the House Performance songs and the myriad other small triumphs that happen every day.

The Music Department celebrates diversity; musically, culturally and globally and has enjoyed workshops and concerts by an Indian sitar player, a British jazz star, an opera company who challenge perceived notions of gender and sexuality, and also concerts from our own exceptional team of visiting and full-time music teachers.

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CRANLEIGH SCHOOL ROUND UP

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26% of all grades a 9

73% of all grades a 9-7

80% of all English/Maths grades a 9-7

26% of all grades a 9

73% of all grades a 9-7

80% of all English/Maths grades a 9-7

17% of A Level grades at A*

81% of A Level grades at A*-B

17% of A Level grades at A*

81% of A Level grades at A*-B

65% of students achieved all A Level grades A*-B 65% of students achieved all A Level grades A*-B

pie diameter 40x40 ACADEMIC NEWS Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Upper Sixth had never experienced a public exams session so had no way of gauging how to revise, pace and test themselves, pie diameter 40x40 or of knowing how they dealt with those pressures. Whilst those in the Upper Fifth had managed a full two-year course, they had missed Common Entrance and their final term of Prep. Their first year at Cranleigh had been severely disrupted just at a time when their education should have been laying essential building blocks.

Despite these challenges the students did themselves proud, considerably outperforming national patterns of downward trends and outperforming 2019. At A-Level, students scored 17% A* and 81% A*-B, up 6% and 4% respectively on 2019 figures. At GCSE, the results were outstanding with the most common grade being a 9, the highest possible grade, and the average grade being over 7 as over 73% of grades received were 7-9. Five Cranleighans scored nine or more straight 9s (500 nationally).

Extended Project Qualifications (EPQs) have grown in significance in recent years and are increasingly recognised as having real value, so it was pleasing to see that half of the Upper Sixth cohort gained A or A* grades in March 2023 on their EPQs. Our Lower Sixth Design Engineers also excelled this year by enjoying great success in the VEX Robotics Competition World Championships.

This year, Cranleigh processed university applications from 150 students (both pre- and post-A Level) of whom 114 obtained places at their first-choice university and 10 obtained places at their insurance choice. The remainder have, variously, found a place through Clearing, opted to re-apply next year or decided not to go to university. Of those gaining places, 78% will be going to Russell Group or equivalent universities.

CRANLEIGH SCHOOL ROUND UP

DRAMA The first production of the year was the mammoth undertaking of another en promenade ‘immersive’ production penned by Emily McGhee. This rotation brought us the whimsical and fantastic Neverland, a retelling of the J.M. Barrie story a generation into the future with Jane Darling and the researchers at the L.O.S.T clinic continuing the work started by Wendy Darling to find out how to rescue a group of inexplicably comatose boys. The audience, tasked with helping to find the answers, were whisked into a fantasy Neverland and journeyed through this immersive world in search of its secrets. Along the way they were met by all the characters of the original, from Tinkerbell and Hook to Smee, Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, and were guided around beautifully constructed landscapes including Pixie Hollow, Skull Rock and the Jolly Roger, amongst innumerable others.

The best theatre has a point to make, and sometimes the message is delivered in uncompromising and emotionally brutal ways. Polly Stenham’s 2007 play, That Face, does just that. Cast almost exclusively with Lower Sixth students, this production worked brilliantly. It’s a psychological drama about love and pain that peers into a complex mother–son relationship and rips the plaster off the deep cut of a family in tatters, one that has never quite communicated effectively, one torn apart by various toxic co-dependencies, neglects or indifferences. It is also utterly heart wrenching. The play’s crowning glory was in the emotional crucible of the final scene. To all involved, a huge Bravo!

In the Summer term the mood was lightened by Moana Jr — The Musical. The decision to thrust staging in the intimate VCT arena allowed for a very involved show, enabling the actors to get up close and personal with the audience whilst telling their tale, and yet remain utterly focused throughout. It was a wondrous visual delight in the retelling of this moral tale where the heart of TeFiti was quite rightly put back in its place — as the heart of Cranleigh School Junior Productions beat on fiercely and proudly concurrently.

The most popular destinations this year were Exeter (25 students), Nottingham (13 students), Oxford Brookes (12 students), Newcastle (10 students) and Durham (10 students). The 25 students attending Exeter make up the biggest group of students going to one university in recent memory.

The most popular subject areas were Business Management (23 students), Politics & International Relations (10 students), Engineering (9 students), Economics (8 students), English (7 students), Geography (7 students) and Sport and Exercise Science (6 students).

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LORD ROBERTS OF BELGRAVIA BIOGRAPHER AND HISTORIAN, ANDREW ROBERTS (EAST 1981), WAS ENNOBLED AS LORD ROBERTS OF BELGRAVIA IN OCTOBER 2022 AND INTRODUCED INTO THE HOUSE OF LORDS ON 28 NOVEMBER 2022. ANDREW’S FATHER, GRANDFATHER AND UNCLE ALSO ATTENDED CRANLEIGH AND HIS NIECE LEFT IN 2013.

2023 LEAVERS READY FOR THEIR PARTY

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THAMES DITTON It was a season of change at the OC Club, culminating in the departure of the longserving JJ and Georgie Griffin who have been running the business since 2009 (see page 46) Their successor, Bevan Hoogewerf, a local restaurant/bar owner, was appointed after months of searching and interviews and he will be responsible for the food and beverage operation rather than, as before, the overall management of the club. He took charge on 1st September and has already made a number of well-received changes.

Behind the scenes an overhaul of the structure of the Club’s finances was implemented in September 2022, the intention being that surplus income could be reinvested rather than go to managing the Club as was the case under the old model. This should enable much-needed improvements to start happening sooner than anticipated.

Last year we mentioned a wish list of investments at Thames Ditton and we are pleased to say these have now moved beyond the drawing board. It is hoped that planning applications for a six-court indoor padel facility, operated by Charlie Packham (2 North 1994) with free membership on offer to all OCs, as well as a second all-weather hockey pitch will be submitted by the year end. Consultations have been ongoing with neighbours, the council and sporting organisations, and we are also using as much Old Cranleighan expertise as we can.

Allied to this we are in consultation with a specialist architect about the clubhouse, which will celebrate its centenary in 2028. What was acceptable to users at the time of the 1993 rebuild does not meet the needs of a modern sports club, so considerable changes are being discussed, all while retaining the much-loved look at the front. This work will incorporate new changing rooms and toilets, a relocation of the kitchen, and general upgrades to the clubroom and bar. While this will be expensive, it will be funded from the income deriving from the change in management structure.

In the last decade the Club has become a sporting hub for the local community as well as Old Cranleighans and well over 2,500 people use it every week. The combined OC hockey and rugby clubs put out 20 adult sides on Saturdays and attract around 1,500 juniors on Sundays. The possibility of a newly formed OC Football Club (see page 49) starting in September 2024 will only add to the vibrancy of the Club.

IN THE LAST DECADE THE CLUB HAS BECOME A SPORTING HUB FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

The purchase of the nine-acre neighbouring club in 2020 has enabled us to continue this expansion while ensuring it was not bought for property development.

This means we are one of the largest privately-owned sports clubs inside the M25 and the importance of it will only grow as land is taken for building.

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OC CLUB

LARGER THAN LIFE

A FOND FAREWELL TO JJ AND GEORGIE GRIFFIN AS THEY HEAD WEST AFTER 14 YEARS AT THE OC CLUB

Fourteen years after their arrival at Thames Ditton, the Old Cranleighan Club manager, JJ Griffin and his wife Georgie, have hung up their boots, pint glasses and frying pans and moved down to Devon. It is timely that we pay tribute to their tenure at TD, a rollercoaster ride across the exponential rise of both rugby Minis and hockey Colts sections, through the turbulence of the Covid lockdown, as the club evolved from cheerfully amateur to a thriving, and of necessity, more professional and all-consuming business.

Embracing epic club nights, decimating the porcine population as the hog roast crackled alongside countless braii burgers and boerewors, dispensing toxic green Springbok shooters, our Zimbabwean landlord (by way of Croydon and Cape Town) serviced the weekly Ram folk club events, seniors Bridge club, Taste of Thames Ditton food and beer festivals, season opening and closing jamborees, Oktoberfests, Christmas balls, ice bucket challenges, hockey and rugby awards dinners and past players’ lunches. After battling ancient boilers, an occupation by travellers, oak processionary moths, the increasing complexity of red tape (JJ excelled at the bar, not the spreadsheet!) and the ever increasing demands on the kitchen, JJ and Georgie have more than earned their West Country retreat.

Initially, JJ took on the clubhouse manager role on his own, with Georgie joining the team after a few years, bringing order and a prodigious work ethic to the hospitality side of the operation. The couple had previously worked together in Youngs pubs, among them the Crooked Billet on Wimbledon Common and The Foley in Claygate. JJ played mine host with aplomb, larger than life, loud, big-hearted, occasionally cantankerous, serving up pints by the thousand and unintelligible gibberish by way of badinage. He can claim to be one of few who have represented both OC 1st XV and XI. Georgie produced wonders from the kitchen, chips by the sack load, memorable lunches and dinners for the respective clubs. The family grew up with the club, their children Paige and Drew and, of course, Maddie the Labbie very much part of the team.

The entire OC family thank the Griffins for their decade and more at the club. They leave a vibrant clubhouse, a flourishing community hub, and have the genuine love and gratitude of us all. Rest well both, you have made such an impact and richly deserve our thanks and the opportunity to breathe in some fresh sea air.

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SPORT & SOCIETIES

OC SPORTS

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OC SPORTS

OC CRICKET CLUB Eds Copleston ecopleston@hotmail.com www.ocsociety.org/cricket/

The 2023 season was one marred by poor weather and sketchy availability, and although results on the field were overall good the reluctance of cricketers to commit to games — and stay committed — raises real headaches for the future. We lost three games to the weather — most matches took place once the June heatwave had given way to dull and gloomy July — and two because we simply could not raise an XI. We kicked off with a preliminary round match in the Cricketer Cup. Until the break for Covid, these Cup matches were much anticipated and in the 12 seasons following our admission to the tournament in 2007 we won the competition twice and reached the final on two other occasions. Not to be too boastful, we were one of the sides other schools did not want to draw. Of late, much has changed even though Cranleigh cricket continues to be incredibly strong. In 2018 we won the trophy. A year later, although we went out in the second round (a one-wicket loss to Bradfield), the match report ended by saying “... but we have a young side and we have depth, with some excellent talent coming through as well. The future is bright even if today was not.” The reality has been very different.

In 2021 we won through to the quarter-finals but that rather masked two poor performances where individual efforts got us over the line. It was also against the backdrop of unavailability and late cry-offs (nine in the days before one of the games) that made Brad Scriven’s job as captain all but impossible. The 2022 season was no better, although again we reached the quarter-finals. But for an injury to the pivotal Jack Scriven on the eve of that match, we may even have made the semis. But once more availability was poor and cry-offs, at times on the day before the game, bewildering. In fairness, we were not alone in this and all our opponents told us they suffered similarly. Our second-round victory hinged on late runs from the veteran Will Howard, who had answered an SOS on the Saturday and headed straight to Cranleigh from Glastonbury. For the quarter-final at Wellington we brought back a number of old faces (a brace of Crumps, Meaker, etc.) who almost got us over the line.

This year Alan Cope took over the reins but found the same challenges. The increasing demands of league cricket are undoubtedly causing younger cricketers to pass on playing both days of the weekend but, as a club, we need to have a serious look at where we go from here. We have a swathe of immensely talented young players to complement our more senior cricketers, but if we cannot get them to turn out then the future, far from being bright, is grim. Drawn at home to Winchester, all our batsmen got started before finding ways to get out before they went on to play the much-needed big innings. An eventual score of 139 was never enough to give our bowlers something to play with and we went down by six wickets before tea was served.

The next outing was the School match which was again depressingly one-sided. Since this moved to a weekday we have struggled to get out sides good enough to challenge a series of very strong School XIs and this year was no exception. The School made 258 for 8, Max Bell picking up four late wickets, and we only managed 130 thanks to an aggressive 56 from Harvey Stiles. This is another fixture which needs some thinking about.

After consulting with the younger members, the format for most other games this year was changed from an all-day-declaration format to limited overs, usually 40 a side. This worked well and in the week itself we won all four matches that were played. The most enjoyable was the first at home to Eton where Sam

Dickson led an XI based around the 2017 leavers, and a large cohort of friends and parents turned up to support. The best was the game v Old Hurstjohnians when we chased down 287 thanks to a scrambled single off the last ball, Rory Kennedy leading the charge with his second OC hundred, days before he headed off for a new life in Australia. The season ended with a spectacular implosion against Flashmen when we were cruising on 113 for 0 chasing 238 only to lose ten wickets for 50 runs.

In conclusion, it would have been easy to write a vanilla report stating all was well, but it is not.

And this is not just a problem we face. The demands of league cricket allied to a general apathy all sports are facing post-Covid is causing headaches for all so-called jazz hat and old boys’ sides. We have some real advantages that others don’t have in a wonderful ground to play on and a constant stream of talented cricketers coming off the Stuart Welch production line. We just have to work out how to get things back on track.

A huge thanks to the indefatigable Eds Copleston for raising sides with a mixture of charm and basic threats. He has, almost single-handedly at times, kept the playing side afloat. And also to Alan Cope for stepping up to Cricketer Cup skipper. It will get easier. The ground staff remain the envy of the circuit and we are so lucky to have them on duty (and even playing) throughout. And finally to Stuart Welch for his help and advice.

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OC SPORTS

OC FOOTBALL CLUB

Max Richards maxrichards123@gmail.com

We are pleased to announce that plans are being made to re-start the Old Cranleighan Football Club. Max Richards (Cubitt 2018) is the driving force behind this and would appreciate hearing from anyone who is interested in playing. The aim is to have some friendlies this season with a view to entering the Arthurian League in 20242025. The club is likely to be based at the OC Club in Thames Ditton.

Some friendlies against the School have been agreed for 2023-2024 and it is also hoped to arrange a few matches in and around west London.

If you are interested please contact Max. You can also check out the OCFC Instagram page at @oldcranleighansfc

OC GOLF SOCIETY Tony Whitty tony.whitty@airpartner.com www.ocgs.org.uk

This year will go down as a successful one.

Highlights include winning the Mellin Plate for the first time in 10 years, being runners up in the Peter Burles Trophy and the birth of a new competition known as the Inter-Years Cup. On the flip side sadly this year we lost one of our stalwarts, Bobby Stovold, whose obituary you will find on page 74.

The inaugural Inter-Years Cup was held at Woking GC in May with 44 OCs divided into 11 teams, the largest turnout for many years. This competition has replaced the Spring meeting which has been poorly attended for some time. The format of the competition is fourballs, grouped as much as possible into their own Cranleigh year, playing a Stableford competition where three of the scores count. It is the fun way of playing with your own year against other years that has caught the imagination of so many OCs and we look forward to doing the same next year at Woking on Friday 24th May.

The winning team from 2018 comprised Iola Andrew, Josh Wilkinson, Andy Robinson and Rory Calnan. In second place, on count back, came George Wilkinson, Josh’s brother, with Charlie Clayton and Bill Bathurst who left in 2015. Tom Cary and his merry band from 2009, consisting of Rob Cowdrey, Henry Church and Fred Stonell, would have won something but had to go to Annabel’s for a stag night. Josh Wilkinson won the stroke play and Rory Calnan won the Stableford.

In the Peter Burles Trophy (over 65s) we lost in the first round to Forest but won the first round of the plate against Loretto (2-0) and then drew with Lancing 1-1. We won that round after two extra holes. In the final we played Bedford and drew again 1-1 but this time lost on extra holes.

The team consisted of Martin Riddiford, John Schofield, Chris Mitchell, Jeremy Weller and Richard Williams. Congratulations to Chris Mitchell, playing in his first competitive match for the OCs, who won three out of three.

In the first round of the Mellin Salver (over 55s) we came up against last year’s winners Forest who once again fielded mostly current Hewitt players and duly lost ½ to 2 ½. In the plate we beat Lancing convincingly, thrashed Downside 3-0 and came up against Loretto in the final. The first pair of Tony Whitty and Matthew Hansford playing together for the first time in this competition won 4 and 3. The novel new pairing of Andrew Staples and Paul Tidey won 5 and 4 and, last but not least, the inseparable pair at school of Bartlett and Darby were reunited and were about to go 4 up with three to play when the match was stopped as the other matches had been completed.

Above: winners of the Mellin Plate Below: winners of the inter-years cup

A fierce wind off the sea did not dampen the OC spirits as we faced the Wighorns in the first round of the Brent Knowl. The battering-ram pair of Giles Pickford and James Boyle unfortunately lost on 17, with the brothers Craig and Frazer Moore losing on 18. Not the outcome our anchor pairing of Tony Whitty and Josh Wilkinson, who won convincingly on 16, wanted to hear.

The consolation plate beckoned, the opposition being Lloyds Bank. The talisman for the Bank, known as ‘the whisky man’, was absent this year and so we faced a more serious team. Our battering ram came unstuck on 17, and with the Moore brothers 1 down on the 18th tee, Whitty and Wilkinson were in the driving seat heading down 18 at 1 up. Unfortunately, a good lunch saw Moore the younger airmail the 19th green by some 30 yards and that was all that was needed to send us home.

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OC SPORTS

After a few glorious years of sunshine for the Halford Hewitt, a year of truly dreich weather did not dampen the spirits of the 640 competitors in the world’s largest amateur golfing event. Despite the usual OC diary mismanagement and injuries (well done Monty {Cameron Montgomerie, East 2016} for chopping his finger off), we arrived with, on paper, one of our strongest teams in recent history.

A comfortable victory over a strong Fettes (the self-proclaimed Scottish Eton) team in the first round was the reward for some outstanding golf in strong winds — continuing our run of firstround victories over sides from Scotland. Our second-round opponents, Bradfield — were one of the strongest sides on paper, fielding the sons of three former Ryder Cup stars. A titanic battle ensued in 30mph winds and sideways rain, with a brilliant first win from Josh Wilkinson (partnering OC stalwart Whitty levelling the match at 2-2 with the final pair (the notorious Craig Moore and Adam Kendrick) trading blows on the infamous finishing stretch at Deal. Eighteen holes were not enough to separate the teams, and after a dazzling win down the 19th in front of a

crowd of over 50, we claimed a famous victory.

Our reward was not a return to the clubhouse for a well-deserved drink, but straight back out to play a very strong Canford side. After a valiant effort in abhorrent weather, we fell to a narrow loss as the sun was fading.

OC HOCKEY CLUB t.b.a ocs@cranleigh.org https://www.ochockeyclub.org/

As always we are one of the best supported schools at the Hewitt, with OC blazers seen lining the fairways and propping up the bar at Royal Cinque Ports. A huge thanks to all of those who come down to revel in all that is the Hewitt.

Team: John Richards, Giles Pickford, James Boyle, Josh Wilkinson, Tony Whitty, Marcus Ferguson-Jones, Frazer Moore, Harry MillburnFyer, Adam Kendrick, Craig Moore Written by Andrew Staples, Captain

After two years of Covid protocols and league restructuring, the 2022-2023 season saw a return to relative normality. The club fielded five Men’s, six Ladies’, and three Masters teams on a Saturday and introduced a Ladies’ Masters XI on a Sunday. The season featured 264 league games, four league titles, seven promotions, 775 league goals and many cup runs with the Men’s Over 40s making the England Hockey Tier 1 semi-final.

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FORMER GB INTERNATIONAL DAVE MATTHEWS, THE OCHC’S DIRECTOR OF HOCKEY, LOOKS AT

The Men’s 1st XI finished an injury-blighted season in eighth place in National League Division One South. The standout game was against Canterbury when they fought back from a goal down to win 3-1. Ollie Davies stood down as skipper at the end of the season but will continue to turn out for the 2nd XI. The Men’s 2nd XI seemed set for promotion before a spectacular implosion saw them take only four points from the final 24 available. The Men’s 3rd XI secured back-to-back promotions under Max Arthur’s guidance and Chris Tiss bowed out as captain of the Men’s 4th XI by guiding them to promotion. The ‘Lads and Dads’ team known as the Warriors — an excellent breeding ground for talented juniors — also gained promotion. The more senior sides also enjoyed success with the Stormers winning their Over 40s’ Premier League and the Barnstormers also going up.

The Ladies’ section also had a season of highs and lows. The Ladies’ 1st XI triumphed with their second straight promotion (into the London Premier League) under Laura Sealey’s leadership. As captain she led from the front and finished up overall ladies’ club top goal scorer.

The Ladies’ 2nd XI suffered with availability issues and ultimately stayed up on the final day of the season. The Ladies’ 3rd XI started strongly but faded away after Christmas while the Ladies’ 4th XI did the reverse. The Ladies’ 5th XI achieved promotion with their 2nd place finish and the Ladies’ 6th XI continued to grow with a diverse group including juniors new to league hockey alongside some more established ladies’ players, back-to-hockey players and some totally new to the game. All our ladies’ squads have a minimum of at least five juniors.

Back to Hockey initiative continues to grow across the club with men and ladies playing league or friendly hockey. To accommodate all the new players the 2023-2024 season will see three new sides put out — a Ladies’ 7th XI, an extra Men’s XI — the Samurais — and an Over 60s Masters Men’s team.

The Junior section continues to thrive with over 600 members from U6s through to U18s and we field over 50 juniors playing across all adult teams. The impact of our juniors allows the club to grow but we get to support their development and as the years progress this will ensure a healthy future. The commitment of some of the juniors is unquestionable when they play school and club matches on the same day.

OC SPORTS

WHAT THE CLUB OFFERS AND PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. The OCHC continues to grow with great plans for facility development and provision at Thames Ditton. This club really could be an outstanding hub for hockey in the coming years with the addition of a second pitch at TD and improved parking and clubhouse facilities.

The family club feel at OCHC is second to none and will continue to grow as we integrate more juniors into the adult sections and matches on a Saturday. We continue to strive to make the atmosphere and experience for all at the club one to remember for a lifetime of memories and friendships.

Our professional coaches are supported by a fantastic team of parents, volunteers and club players, ensuring we offer a positive and enjoyable hockey experience to all. We continue to introduce a greater number of volunteers to the junior programme.

The development of the training and coaching programme at OCHC and the introduction of a greater number of pro coaches has given our members every opportunity to improve across the whole club from juniors’ to masters’ hockey.

Five nights of weekday training and coaching, plus a Saturday match, Sunday training session or Sunday match, have allowed most of our juniors and adults access to high-quality coaching and pitch time for at least 1-3 hours per week.

In the 2022-2023 season our coaching team provided midweek coaching for all of our adult teams, plus midweek and weekend coaching from U10s to U16s in the Junior section. Our youngest members from U6s to U9s, enjoyed fabulous Sunday sessions at TD, under the guidance of our superb team, offering a great introductory experience to hockey at the club.

Junior midweek training is available to all players from U10 upwards with the sessions focused on skill and technical development. The focus for the Sunday sessions being on playing games and matches after a skill development and teamwork ethic in pre-season and during training.

All three pitches are hives of activity and enjoyment on a Sunday morning and afternoon, with the continued use of Manor Road and Oaken Lane and our fabulous facility at OCHC. We also continued to run dedicated goalkeeper coaching sessions on a weekly basis for our Junior goalkeepers, both during the week and on Sunday mornings, with the addition of two more experienced coaches.

The heartbeat of the club remains the dedicated and committed band of over 90 volunteer coaches who give up countless hours of their time to support and develop our incredible Junior section. Over 600 junior members have received an outstanding experience on a Sunday and for this we are all truly thankful. Witnessing once again the pre-season coaching session at TD showed the incredible support and energy that you all have in abundance with over 70 coaches in attendance. We would also like to thank all of our U16 and U18 colts who have helped run the Sunday sessions as volunteers or as part of the Duke of Edinburgh/ OCHC programme.

Creating a timetable that meets the needs of all the members is a challenge and we would like to thank all the players and coaches for embracing the training schedule. We aim to allow every member the opportunity to train and play at Thames Ditton over the course of the season.

This season also saw the continuation of our October, February and Easter Camps and the Summer Coaching Programme. We hope regular holiday camps will continue to be a feature across the year.

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OC SPORTS

OC RIFLE CLUB Simon Hayton simon_hayton@hotmail.com

We enjoyed another very active season at the OC Rifle Club. I’ll preface this year’s report with our regular message that despite a high level of activity, our membership numbers remain low and we would be delighted to welcome new members to the club. Prior experience of target shooting of any kind is helpful but not a requirement for joining. We are keen to tutor beginners and intermediates up to a competitive standard in a safe and friendly environment, with access to guidance from county- and internationallevel competitors. If you would be interested in attending a guest day free of charge, please do not hesitate to contact our Honorary Secretary, Simon Hayton.

Umpiring again presented its challenges this season with official EH external appointments limited to the Men’s 1s and inconsistently to the Ladies 1s. However, our in-house appointments system to provide umpires for home games only is now in its second year and working very well. We have a core team of a dozen umpires supported by a number of volunteers who oversaw 294 home umpiring appointments in 2022-2023. The umpiring group is now working to produce a development programme to support new aspiring umpires.

Our long-established Summer League, ably managed by Jackie Waite and Jane Taylor, enabled members to play men’s, ladies and mixed hockey at a competitive level. These support our player development and also attract teams from many other clubs. We also entered leagues organised by other clubs thus allowing all abilities to get summer hockey during what used to be the off season.

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OC SPORTS

OC RUGBY CLUB Will Fawcett willfawcett007@msn.com https://ocrfc.com/

The season started in early April with the usual programme of practice fixtures and our three regular fixtures — the short-range ‘Q’ Match, All Day Match, and Long Range Match. Turnout at the matches was improved compared to last year, and some respectable scores were obtained with good progress from our developing talent — particularly notable was Anthony Gammage’s perfect score of 35.5v at 300 yards in the All Day Match.

We are delighted to see further progress from the Cranleigh School team. As per last year, we held a joint training weekend in April featuring some classroom and electronic dry firing training at the School, followed by a day of live firing at Bisley, with a focus on the fundamental basics for the benefit of novice and intermediate shooters. Despite poor weather and a busy calendar, the weekend was very well attended.

Our next fixture was the annual OCRC vs.

School match in June, which was won by OCRC and saw Ozzy Larmer (now the 2024 Shooting Captain) win the Welford Trophy for top gun score in the school team.

Simon also went on to travel to Canada with the Great Britain Rifle Team in August, shooting both individual and team competitions in the Quebec and Ontario regional championships and the DCRA National Championships. This is a fabulous achievement, and Simon is the first OC to win his senior Cap for Great Britain — something all of the OCRC members are proud of. See Sporting Honours on page 57 for more on this.

Finally, the main event of the year — the OCRC Prize Meeting. Six members of OCRC turned out for the all-day competition, and the scores were blisteringly close at the top. Simon took home the Jackson and Long Range prizes, but the real hero of the day was Tim, who won the 600-yard Lovesy Trophy and also recorded the highest overall score of the day of 195.25v in the President’s (ex 200), beating Simon (195.18v) by seven V bulls and two points ahead of Rob Welford (193.12v). Tim’s feat was made all the more impressive by the fact that he was borrowing Simon’s rifle — so it is good to know at least one of them can shoot straight with it!

Written by Richard Bourne

At the NRA Imperial Meeting in July the OCRC put in a score of 233.17v to finish 34th in a crowded field among the A teams. The club also had three individual entrants to the meeting — Rob Welford, Tim Bourne, and Simon Hayton.

With extremely challenging wind conditions on some of the days this year and a barrel failure at a crucial time for Rob, there were real ups and downs across the week. Rob did qualify for the St George’s second stage with a respectable 74.7v, but was a mere two points shy of qualifying for the final. Tim qualified for the King’s second stage, which is a fabulous achievement for his first meeting, but was just three points short of qualifying for the final. Simon managed to qualify for both finals, starting in 25th place in the St George’s and 11th place in the King’s. His score of 75.7v in the St George’s final saw him climb to a respectable 8th place, but his less respectable score of 135.8v in the King’s final saw him drop to 88th place overall.

The annual end-of-term sign-off for the 20212022 season saw OC tourists motoring serenely down the Grand Canal, Venice being a spectacular location to relax and recharge after a difficult year. Wooden-hulled water taxis ferried the tour party along the classic waterway, heading towards the open ocean and the advent of a new dawn.

The 2022-2023 season saw the OCRFC charter choppy waters as the newly constituted league structure saw our 1st XV battle in a highly competitive Counties 1 Surrey/Sussex. Rugby continues to face an almost existential crisis, between dramatically reduced player numbers since the pandemic, new tackle height laws and concerns for player welfare further denuding the player pool. Old boys rugby in particular is feeling the heat, with town sides more able to withstand the shortfall in player availability due to the more localised community they mostly draw upon. Against this backdrop, the fact that the 1st XV managed to retain their current league status is itself testament to the herculean efforts of Captain Ollie Drew, 2nd XV skipper Nick Sunnick and our excellent Fixture Secretary Robin Board, as well as a solid core of players who led the way through turbulent seas.

THE 2ND XV WON THEIR LEAGUE, DEFEATED OLD PAULINES TO WIN THE 2S CUP AND THEN COMBINED WITH OLD PAULINES TO CHALLENGE IN THE VETERANS CUP FINAL THE FOLLOWING WEEK.

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season. It has been quite a ride, 13 seasons of hard graft, happy faces, fun, family and friendship, with the very real probability that these players will form the base of the club’s adult section of the future.

The 1st XV had notable victories, defeating Old Walcountians home and away and holding off a hostile Trinity for a battling away victory.

Too often, however, skipper, chairman and committee were scrabbling for players, the 2nd XV suffering as a consequence as players were required to step up. In a frankly farcical turn of events, the 2nd XV won their league, defeated Old Paulines to win the 2s Cup and then combined with Old Paulines to challenge in the Veterans Cup final the following week, whilst playing the lowest combined number of matches on record. Choppy waters indeed.

Sunnick was a whirlwind of enthusiasm, his online output reaching Musk-like levels. Milking the moment as he raised the 2s Cup, he deserves every praise for his efforts.

Clubhouse manager JJ Giffin left OCs, departing to the West Country after an extraordinary fourteen years of biltong-bearing bonhomie.

JJ, a unique and much-loved character, and his wife, Georgie, have provided the warm hospitality that makes our Thames Ditton clubhouse so envied on the circuit and we wish them every happiness down in Devon. Our thanks to touchline stalwarts, Mike Fawcett, John Cooke and Peter Wylie-Harris, alongside our array of loyal parents and, above all, to Tosh Meyer, our longserving club president, the embodiment of OC joie de vivre.

Two well-attended Golden Oldies Lunches reunited former players; our thanks to Mike Bacon for masterminding these gatherings. We sadly lost former 1st team captain Jim Moss at a ridiculously young age, as well as Christian Roberts, OC rugby stalwart, actor, restaurateur and bon viveur, whose funeral service was both a wonderful celebration of his extraordinary life and quite the richest gathering of OCRFC legends in memory. The 104-year history of our great club

offers many of these inimitable characters, and it is pleasing to note that even as rugby as a sport faces the challenges of the modern postCovid era, there are still many, young and old, who espouse and display the values and ethos of our great game.

The 2022-2023 season was not one that will linger long in the collective memory, but there remains much to be positive about. The acquisition of the Weston Green playing fields annexed to the existing Thames Ditton ground offers the opportunity for a new vision for this fabulous facility. Planning proposals are already underway to redevelop the clubhouse internally and to the rear, retaining the Edwardian façade, symbolic of nigh on one hundred years of OC sport at TD. The 2023-2024 Colts team offers a glimpse of the future, whilst the aspiration is that a greater number of genuine Old Cranleighans utilise the excellent facilities as they take their first steps away from school and university.

Perhaps you are a current Cranleighan casting a curious eye over this season summary.

Come and find out just why legions of Cranleigh alumni have extended their rugby career at this vibrant social hub. There is little that compares to the camaraderie of epic school matches; why not extend that love of rugby and your friends by playing for the Old Cranleighan Rugby Club?

In contrast, our Junior section sailed on buoyantly, the exponential rise of this section of the club now boasting over 800 children and some 110 coaches. Every Sunday across the season, the OC ground now embracing the land on the former Weston Green playing fields, swarms with exuberant youngsters, parents, ice cream vans, coffee stalls and coaches debating the merits of the counter ruck over a well-earned beer, or three, on the club patio.

Young OC squads revelled in the opportunity to showcase their skills at half-time at both Harlequins Big Games at Twickenham and enjoyed great success at the myriad of tournaments and festivals that Surrey clubs attend, whilst the OC Colts combined with Weybridge Vandals to win the pre-Christmas Waterfall Cup (Birch division). Director of OC junior rugby Piers Cushing reports a rude bill of health, with the Colts age group (U17 & U18 combined) finally fulfilling the full house of OC age groups U5 to U18 as of the start of the 2023-2024

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OC SPORTS

Finally, as ever, thanks to our increasingly hardworked Honorary Secretary Mark Lubbock, Veterans skipper Max Vincze and Simon Laws, our indefatigable club Everyman masterminding the club international tickets allocation and the maintenance of our extended grass pitch surfaces, as well as assisting the chairman in composing the hugely popular Junior squads end-of-season tours. This year the club took over 400 people away to Somerset, the largest and most successful tour to date. The chairman’s tankard was awarded to Ollie Drew who stands down as 1st XV captain after a combative and hugely committed two years in post. Thank you Ollie, and thank you to all those who strive to keep the good ship OCRFC buoyant as the currents eddy and surge around the game that we love. All aboard for the new season, in the hope of calmer water and exciting new horizons!

As last year, it would be a stretch to say the chairman has loved every minute of the 20222023 season, but every setback only stiffens the resolve to sustain and build on the shoulders of heroes of the past. A familiar rallying cry to end on: this is the OCRFC, come and join the legend.

OC SQUASH CLUB Richard Winter richard@richard-winter.com Mike Roper m.h.p.roper@gmail.com

We are reliably informed that the new squash courts at Cranleigh School will be completed in early 2024, and our team of Old Cranleighans are limbering up for a match in the New Year on the new courts for the David Vaughan trophy.

Michael Roper has also pulled together a fantastic team of Old Cranleighans for the Londonderry Cup tournament.

The spirit of squash is stronger than ever, and with the new courts we are looking forward to seeing some great new talent emerge from the School. We are always keen to hear from any OC squash players

OC SAILING Jeremy Neech and Tim Barnett jeremy@motherlodemedia.com timbarnett@me.com

The Arrow Trophy 2023 ran over the first weekend in October and we were met with good weather, sunshine and great sailing conditions for the racing around the cans. We had plenty of experience on board this year with skipper Tim Barnett, Jeremy Kaye, Jeremy Neech, James Ware, Bill Mellstrom, and James and Andrew Pike. Windy conditions on Friday prevented us having a spinnaker practice day but a great evening in Cowes was had by all.

Four races ran on Saturday and, despite some good starts, we were not able to optimise boat speed. We sat near the back of the fleet and the bow’s lack of experience with the asymmetrical spinnakers meant we were not able to make up any places on the downwind legs. Many of the boats suffered from spinnaker hourglass twists and wraps, and we did well to finish after unravelling a spectacularly mangled sail on the last race.

We were berthed at Shepherds Marina for the first time and enjoyed the gala dinner in The Sugar Store, and continued the festivities in the Anchor with live music and drinks. Sadly we were too late for the traditional kebab up the hill.

Sunday saw very light winds (this seems like a pattern for the regatta), so racing was cancelled — we received some good racing insights from the yacht company on our return which we hope we can put into action next year.

If anyone is interested in joining the crew please get in touch with Tim at timbarnett@me.com

OC TENNIS CLUB Chris Lloyd cmjlloyd@hotmail.com

After a prolonged Covid-induced slump, it now feels like a good time to encourage some more recent leavers to take part. If you might be interested please contact Chris or Vickie (ocs@ cranleigh.org).

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SPORTING HONOURS [1] It has been the OC cricketers who have been to the fore in the last year, with Ollie Pope

(Loveday 2016) leading from the front. He enjoyed good tours to Pakistan and New Zealand, kicking off with his third Test hundred at Rawalpindi, and at the start of the summer was named England’s Test vice-captain. He scored 205 in the one-off Test against Ireland at Lord’s — the fourth fastest England hundred ever — but in the 2nd Ashes Test at Lord’s he suffered a dislocated right shoulder, requiring another operation which kept him sidelined for the remainder of the summer.

Tom Lawes (Cubitt 2021) was a key part of Surrey’s County Championship winning side, taking 39 wickets at 19.76 including three five-fors. He was rewarded with an extended contract and picked for the England Lions squad to visit the UAE for a training camp in November and December. He was also chosen as part of the Oval Invincibles squad in the Hundred.

Yousef Majid (North 2022) had his Surrey contract extended at the end of the season, while Tommy Ealham (Loveday 2022) was given his first contract. George Ealham (Loveday 2020) fleetingly took centre stage fielding as a substitute for England in the 5th Ashes Test at The Oval when a brilliant pick up and throw seemed to have run out Steve Smith, only for replays to show wicketkeeper Johnny Bairstow had broken the stumps fractionally before the ball hit them.

Michael Burgess (North 2012) had another good summer at Warwickshire where he cemented his place as the county’s first choice keeper, although he returned on loan to his old county, Sussex, for the T20 Blast. He too signed a one-year contract extension at Edgbaston in September.

1. Hugh Tizard 2. Dino Lamb Cona 3. Tom Lawes 4. Will Barnicoat 5. Ollie Pope

[2]

In rugby, Hugh Tizard’s (Loveday 2018) move from Harlequins at the end of the 2022-23 season reaped rewards as he was part of the Saracens side who won the Gallagher Premiership final in May. He was also named Saracens’ Young Player of the Season. Dino Lamb Cona (East 2016) made his international debut for Italy in the World Cup warm-up matches and featured in three of the country’s group games in the tournament itself, scoring a try in Italy’s win over Namibia in the opening round. In their final game v New Zealand he beat HP Jacob’s (1 North 1922) OC record of five full international caps. Oscar Beard (North 2020) made his first-team debut for Harlequins in December and was followed by another of the 2020 leavers, Will Trenholm (1 North 2020) in May. Another Quin, Will Collier (East 2009), was called into the England training camp ahead of the Ireland game in March, while Hayden Hyde (East 2019) signed a new contract with the club. Jamie Barden (Cubitt 2018) was part of the Great Britain side who took part in the Hong Kong Sevens. In the USA, Ollie Corbett (Cubitt 2020) and Henrique Gabriel (East 2021) were both in the Brown Bears side which won the National Collegiate Rugby tournament. Brown went unbeaten all season, winning the Ivy Champs, the Liberty Conference and then the Nationals.

In hockey, James Gall (Cubitt 2013) and Will Calnan (Cubitt 2014) were in the Great Britain hockey squad who took Silver at the EuroHockey Championships. Izzy Petter (South 2018) was in the women’s squad who finished fourth.

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[4] Greg Slade (Cubitt 2020), who is ranked 14th in the world in both singles and doubles wheelchair tennis, became the first OC to take part in the Wimbledon Championships since 1927.

Will Barnicoat (North 2021) won his third successive English Cross Country National title in February, retaining his junior crown. “It was a big win,” he said, “and a good way to end my junior career before I join the big boys.” He later took Bronze in the 5000m at the U23 European Championships with a personal best time.

At the London Marathon, Callum Job (Loveday 2018, Guildford & Godalming Athletic Club) ran what is believed to be the fastest marathon time by an OC when he finished in 2:25:49. Despite injuries in training, Laura Ebbs (2&3 South 1997, Reigate Priory Athletic Club) set the fastest time by an OC woman when she completed the course in 2:53:14.

Simon Hayton (North 2005) was selected for the Great Britain Rifle Team for their tour to Canada in August, shooting both individual and team competitions in the Quebec and Ontario regional championships and the DCRA National Championships. He managed to finish 8th in both the DCRA Grand Aggregate and Governor General’s final, and narrowly lost out in the tie shoot to finish 2nd in the Gatineau. In the teams, Simon was part of the victorious GB team winning the Outlander Match, narrowly defeating USA by two points, and was also part of GB’s Commonwealth Match team.

[5]

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SOCIETIES

OC CLUBS AND SOCIETIES OC ARMED FORCES Mike Payne mkp@oldcranleighan.com

There have been 19 of these annual reunions since the first one in 2002. The 2023 one was at Wellington Barracks, where 13 of us (including three wives) watched the King’s Guards mount in beautiful sunshine before marching to Buckingham Palace. We then went to the Nijmegen Room in the Officers’ Mess where for about an hour our own Brigadier Charlie Page (1 North 1980) answered questions about his service in the Falklands War where, with the Scots Guards, he ‘yomped’ from east to west and fought in the Battle of Tumbledown Mountain shortly before the Argentinian surrender, and about his three tours in Afghanistan and in Northern Ireland. He gave us his first-hand thoughts on the dangers of our modern world, the army of today and likely future challenges.

It was the 22nd anniversary of 9/11, and we discussed the influence of that event on the years since. Drinks and a buffet lunch followed and rounded off a very enjoyable and successful day.

Seeing Brigadier Page reminded us of the unveiling of the School’s War Memorial, when he, Colonel Peter Little (2 North 1989) and Colonel Barry Jenkins (2 North 1981) impressed in their dress uniforms. Maybe we can get them all together for our 2024 reunion.

professionals and those in industry. Our intention is to run a larger, informal drinks event every other year (so, as we held one in 2022 one is being planned for spring 2024) supplemented by more topic-specific dinners on an ad-hoc basis. If you would like to hear about future events or would like to suggest convening a dinner, connect to the LinkedIn group (https:// www.linkedin.com/groups/2364204/) or email Vickie Ingle (vli@cranleigh.org)who will be able to add you to the distribution list for invitations.

OC LING COW SHIPPING CLUB Ian Ferguson (Secretary Fu) iamf@btinternet.com 07768066975

The very sad passing of our beloved ‘Chair’ Peter Cowling (West 1957) will have become known to many and brought great sorrow to our members.

The Ling Cow Shipping Club was founded in 1996 over a most convivial lunch meeting within the East India Club between Peter, David Bluett (Brigadier Suett-Bunter, 2 North 1955) and the author (Secretary Fu). Bluett was of course

another greatly esteemed OC and prolific club developer who, at the time of his equally untimely passing, had founded and/or was associated with (from memory) no fewer than 57 clubs. Bluett had visited Hong Kong on a number of occasions and had picked up on the fact that the Chinese always put their surname first on business cards. Hence, Bluett took to addressing Peter as Mr Ling Cow, and so it was that when Bluett encouraged Peter to start an OC shipping club on the occasion of his return to this country, membership of which originally requiring a connection with Hong Kong, it just had to be called the Ling Cow Shipping Club (or, to be strictly correct, it was originally the Ling Cow Luncheon Club). However, both Mr Ling and Bluett being far too wily to actually undertake the necessarily related arduous management role, they flattered the rather younger author into assuming the office of secretary.

The Ling Cow Shipping Club’s roll of membership, whether present, past or distant, stands at just under 50 members over its now 27 years.

At our Christmas lunch at the Boot & Flogger on 1st December, which Chair was due to preside over with his customary charm, warmth, close interest in each and every member, and everflowing good humour, we will raise our glasses and voices to salute Our Beloved Chair and will continue to do so.

This is open to all OCs who have been members of the Armed Forces, including national service.

OC BUSINESS FORUM Dom Hammond domhammond@gmail.com

The OC Business Forum (formerly OC City Society) was renamed last year to reflect its broadened scope from the traditional City industries to a wider group of professions in recognition of the increasingly integrated network among investors, insurers, lawyers, media

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SOCIETIES

OC LODGE Tom Ware twware@gmail.com

At the 2023 February Installation meeting Tom Ware (1 North 1990) was installed as Master for the second time. He was also delighted and privileged to initiate his brother James Ware (1 North 1993) at the May meeting. The Lodge has a wonderful mix of OCs of all ages and we are constantly growing the membership.

We, like all OCs, were very saddened by the death of Richard Sykes (see page 74).The Almoner of the Lodge, Richard Harris said: “Richard passed away almost 57 years after he joined the Old Cranleighan Lodge. He was the ‘Father’ of the Lodge and was a shining light of how a mason should conduct both his personal and masonic life. A man of high integrity and great kindness who upheld high principles and was a great OC and servant to the Lodge. RIP ‘Dickie Boy’.”

Planning is underway to celebrate the OC Lodge’s centenary in 2025, both at the School and in London at our spiritual home at the East India Club.

The values of Freemasonry are based on integrity, kindness, honesty and fairness which compliments the values of our public schools and explains why all the major public schools have popular lodges. Charity is a key tenet of these values. Each year the Lodge donates £1,000 to the Cranleigh School Foundation to sponsor Foundationer places at the school on top of supporting multiple charities.

The Lodge has close ties with other old school lodges, especially the Old Epsomians and Old Johnians who are regular visitors (most old boy lodges are based in London). The OC Lodge meets four times a year (February, May, October and December) in St James’s and dines at the East India Club.

If you are an OC or member of Common Room who is interested in Freemasonry then please do not hesitate to contact the OC Lodge Secretary, Simon Broadhurst at sjbroadhurst@gmail.com.

OC SOUTH-WESTERN AREA Nick Clift nickclift1@outlook.com Steve Vause svause@totalise.co.uk Rick Vause rick@vausecribb.co.uk

Until 2022 Garth Goodwin (1&4 South 1956) was the man behind the south-west lunch gatherings.

Following several years battling cancer Garth sadly died in June (see page 71). Before he died Garth was at pains to put successors in place: in Cornwall, that is Nick Clift (2&3 South 1965); in Bristol, it is Steve Vause (2&3 South 1979); and in Chard, Rick Vause (2&3 South 1981).

The third Bristol regional lunch was in a new venue — The Bowl at Almondsbury — and a thoroughly enjoyable lunch took place in October. In November (as we go to press) the

Devon and Cornwall lunch will take place at the Arundell Arms in Lifton, and in the spring the Chard lunch will be at Hornsbury Mill. Needless to say we will raise a glass to Garth at each of these events.

If you have a more general enquiry about these lunches or might be interested in hosting one in your own area please do get in touch with Vickie Ingle at vli@cranleigh.org.

OC PROPERTY SOCIETY Rory Field rory@lechampholdings.com

We held another great event for the OC Property Society in May. Not only was there a train strike but it also collided with the National Surveyors Rugby sevens! Despite this there was a good turnout of 34 people on the day. There was much discussion and contact swapping between OCs across the property industry. Our private room at Piccolino’s in London’s West End was buzzing.

The Society is looking to welcome more members and we shall keep you informed of our next meeting. It is a great networking opportunity for people looking to get into the industry and those looking for a sideways move.

We would love to see more female attendees; you know who you are! Once again, a huge thank you to Paul Jackson (founder & president), all the members of the Society, Holly Botros, Vickie Ingle and the School for their support. Without you, these events would not be possible. Here’s to many more happy events in the future.

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ARCHIVES

Although Cranleigh’s archives continue to expand with acquisitions and generous donations, we still have specific needs which we hope OCs may be able to help fulfil.

We need clothing – games shirts, ties, scarves – and programmes from plays and concerts. We also have gaps of team photos from the 1960s through to the 1990s. If OCs will lend them to us we can scan and return them. As importantly, if anyone has informal pictures taken at the School we would very much like to see them. If you are able to help please email the archivist (msw@cranleigh.org) with details of what you have.

£15.00 MERRIMAN BEAR

The perfect companion for any OC

£15.00 SILK TIE

Available in 3 OCS designs

£15.00 BASEBALL CAP

A great gift for an OC

OCS MERCHANDISE The items on this page are just a selection of what is available. Why not visit our online shop?

We are adding new products all the time. For the full range visit ocsociety.cranleigh.org/shop.

£35.00 SUPER SOFT HOODIE Made to order

£10.00

GOLF BALLS (BOX OF 3)

£15.00 CUFFLINKS

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An effortless way to add elegance to your shirt

24/11/2023 15:14

LISTINGS

REGISTER

ENGAGEMENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 MARRIAGES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 BIRTHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 DEATHS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 COMMON ROOM LEAVERS . . . . . . . . 81 The Old Cranleighan 2023 | PAGE 61

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ENGAGEMENTS

MARRIAGES

GERRARD, GABY South 2011-2016 and ALEX CIURO

MCCONNELL-WOOD, OLIVIA

HARMAN, PADDY

South 2006-2011

and CASSIE DUFFY

East 2003-2008

and MILAN MURPHY

MEAKER, STUART

BUCHAN, TOM

Cubitt 2002-2007

and BECCY SANDHAR on 16 June 2023

North 2002-2007

and KATLYN ALYSSA MCKEE

PORTER, BETHANY West 2012-2017 and JOEL WESTON

CRONIN, HILARY

West 2005-2019

and WILLIAM MASON on 23 July 2022

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LISTINGS

ROPER, MICHAEL

Loveday 2001-2006

and RACHEL UNSWORTH on 30 December 2022

GASS, TOM

East 2008-2011

O’NEILL, NATHAN

and ALYSSA HERITIER on 24 August 2023

Cubitt 2005-2010 and LEANNA JONES on 2 April 2023

NICHOLLS, CHLOE West 2010-2015 Katy Robinson and Ella Williams (both South 2015) were maids of honour

NICOLE, TOM

and DOMINIC PEARSON on 5 August 2023

Cubitt 2015-2017 and GEORGIA LUBBOCK South 2005-2010 on 5 August 2023

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MARRIAGES

BIRTHS

BARRET, JACK WILLIAMS, CHRISTOPHER

Loveday 2003-2008

Cubitt 2004-2009

and TAMSIN a daughter,

and EVE MASSÉ-BLACK on 16 December 2021

Millie on 14 May 2023

BALDWIN (NEE STRACHAN), ALEX West 2003-2008 and RUPERT a son, Kit on 23 May 2023

WILSON, SAM

Cubitt 2008-2010

and JULIANA RODRIGUEZ MONTOYA on 7 July 2023

CARSON (NEE MERRY), HELEN

West 2001-2006

and ED, a daughter Poppy, joining Annabel and Amelia on 24 April 2023

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COOKE (NEE MERRETT), SOPHIE

South 2003-2007

and MATT a son Joseph (Joe), joining Theodore (Teddy)

COPE, ALAN

on 5 January 2023

and ALLIE a son, Willoughby on 28 June 2023

Cubitt 2001-2006

CULLEY, OLIVER East 2001-2006 and RACHAEL a son, Milo, joining Jude on 12 February 2023

FAGAN (NEE HAMPSON), ROSIE West 2004-2009 and ALEX a daughter, Beatrice on 18 March 2023

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BIRTHS GORDON, PETER 1 North 1980-1985 and MELANIE a daughter, Elizabeth (Betty) on 14 March 2023

HOUSE, JAMES AND GEORGIA (NEE LORD) Cubitt 2008-2013

HARDY, WILL North 2006-2011 and SARAH a son, George on 9 December 2022

HAYNES, JONATHAN Cubitt 2001-2006

and

South 2009-2012

a daughter, Margot on 27 October 2023

And BETH a daughter, Flora on 3 July 2023

JONES, BRADLEY Cubitt 2001-2006 and EMMA a daughter, Martha on 16 May 2023

LEE, HENRY East 2005-2010 and SARAH a son, Arthur on 8 February 2023

HARTLEY-REID, JACK Loveday 2003-2008 and ALICE a daughter, Persephone (Finty) on 1 February 2023 (Pictured on her christening day with her godfathers Jack Barrett & Nick Barnes, both Loveday 2003-2008.)

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HILL, DAMIEN

2 North/East 1997-2002

and REBECCA a son, Rory on 16 May 2023

LEWIS (NEE CHANDLER), MAYA AND ALEX East 1999-2001 and

Loveday 1999-2004

a son, Jasper, joining Zachary on 15 March 2022

MASON-SHAKSPEARE, NICOLA

South 2001-2002

and CHARLIE SPALL a daughter, Margot on 12 May 2023

LEWIS, NICK Loveday 1996-2001 and HANNAH a son, Alfie on 27 January 2023

MOORE, CRAIG Loveday 2001-2006 and YVONNE a son, Alexander on 16 September 2023

SYMONDON, ANGUS Cubitt 2001-2006 and AMBER a son, Otto, joining Siena on 5 May 2023 The Old Cranleighan 2023 | PAGE 67

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DEATHS LEFT IN 1940s John went to Cranleigh as his father had known the Headmaster, David Loveday, in his youth since they had both lived in Deddington. He was in West, whose House master was the highly regarded ex-English wing three three-quarter, HP Jacob.

BOWLER, J.L. (JOHN)

John was keen on sport, particularly rugby, and led the Colts XV pack and then played in the 2nd XV. On going to Cranleigh he was upset they did not play rugby for two terms and, when asked where he would like to play in hockey, he sulkily said ‘In goal’ where he would keep warm and not have to run about. He became the 3rd XI goalie.

West 1945-1949 John died on 19 March 2023 aged 90

AN OBITUARY ISSUED

BY THE WELCH REGIMENT DETAILS HIS SERVICE IN THE KOREAN WAR AND THE INCIDENT WHICH LED TO HIM BEING AWARDED THE MILITARY CROSS

After matriculating he spent one year in the Sixth Form and then left to work in the family business of hatting – his grandfather created the famous bowler hat in the mid 1800s - before doing his two-year national service. He was commissioned into the Welch Regiment and volunteered to go with them to the Korean War in 1951 when they took over from the Glosters.

On the night of 3rd/4th May 1952 2Lt John Bowler was in command of the fighting patrol where task was to make a raid on an enemy-defended locality. Part of the approach to the objective was a long 800 yards of a feature which had not been previously recorded but where enemy opposition might be expected. When the patrol reached within 200 yards of the objective 2Lt Bowler halted it, and with one man crawled forward to make a slow recce of the objective so that he could decide on his detailed plan for the assault. To achieve this he and the other man had to crawl over open country in moonlight to within 20 yards of the objective.

In a static war, his platoon carried out 15 patrols in no-man’s-land, of which he led 14, meeting the Chinese on eight occasions. His platoon was chosen to penetrate the Chinese lines by half a mile and raid a strong post where there had been much activity. This was conducted successfully, with three wounded, and he was awarded the Military Cross. He was wounded twice and lost half his hearing.

Some years later he was invited to make a presentation to the School.

An end-of-year History prize was subsequently named after him.

He was very much involved with The British Korean Veterans’ Association and was a lifelong trustee of the residual organisation.

In that capacity he drafted the wording for The Korean War Memorial dedicated on the Victoria Embankment London in 2014. He took great pride in marching past the Cenotaph every year.

John played rugby for the OCs until the age of 28 when he sustained two fractures in the face. He had

than any patrol had penetrated for some five months.

Furthermore, the exact location of the enemy FDLs had not been fully established and no close recce of the objective had been carried out. Nevertheless, 2Lt Bowler carried out his task with skill and determination and with a keen desire to get to grips with the enemy.

This was also most marked on several other occasions when he led fighting patrols in enemy territory. This he was doing frequently during the period of December 1951 to March 1952 when he was involved on quite a few occasions in sharp engagements with the enemy from which he emerged with considerable credit to himself.

Having made his recce 2Lt Bowler returned to his patrol and gave out his orders for the assault. This was carried out most gallantly and successfully, the enemy being taken by surprise. After a time, it became apparent that the enemy were in platoon strength on the objective and were also reinforcing. 2Lt Bowler then ordered his patrol to withdraw. This was carried out in a highly efficient and praiseworthy manner which reflects all the major credit on him in that a number of enemy followed up the patrol and some small parties got round behind and tried to cut the patrol off.

On an occasion in December 1951, he led a daylight patrol to a hill feature named Pt 169 MR CT 106120 with the objective of observing and reporting on enemy positions and movement. During the afternoon he came under mortar fire and was shelled by an SP gun. He refused to move to a safer area and in spite of the lack of cover he continued to try and locate the gun and mortar positions. Later he did locate them and while still under fire, he directed the artillery on to them until they were both silenced.

Throughout this patrol this young national service officer displayed courage and initiative of the highest order. His task was not an easy one as his objective was some 3,000 yards from our forward defence lines (FDLs) and some 600 yards deeper in enemy territory

He also led other daylight patrols on this hill Pt 169 MR CT 106120. It was always under enemy observation and was occupied by them at night while a patrol from the battalion reoccupied it by day. The re-occupation by daylight was always hazardous as there was no approach

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LISTINGS

MOONEY, J.W.C. (JOHN) 2&3 South 1938-1942 John died on 23 January 2023 aged 93

FIELDING, R.E. (TED)

been the vice-captain of the ‘A’ XV for some years and then became a stalwart of the ‘B’ XV.

East 1945-1949 Ted died on 19 February 2023

His business was advertising and marketing and he became deputy managing director of a 150-strong agency before starting his own company which he ran successfully for 21 years.

Ted went straight from Cranleigh to McGill University in Montreal where he studied Engineering, going on to complete his MBA at Western University. He was honoured with the Queen's Golden Jubilee medal for his outstanding resume of volunteer activity: Mental Health, Non-Profit Housing, Pensioners Concern, and Bridge Street United Church. He leaves behind Marialice, his wife of 65 years, two children and two grandchildren.

In 1961 he married Gillian Fielder and Loveday, by then the Bishop of Dorchester, conducted the service.

They had three children.

John was Master of the Worshipful Company of Feltmakers of London – the hatting livery – following in the footsteps of his grandfather and great-grandfather. He was a keen fly fisherman and was proud of his dahlias.

either than up the very steep southern slope, and there was no guarantee, until the patrol reached the top, that the enemy had evacuated it after the previous night.

On all these occasions 2Lt Bowler displayed great coolness under fire, which, allied to his initiative, his sound judgement and his tactical ability, inspired and set a splendid example to those he led.

John was concerned about the soldiers under his command. He had three soldiers from his platoon killed in Korea. His involvement and interest in his soldiers are shown in this correspondence with Regimental Headquarters: "Corporal Greaves was one of my men and he died in my arms. He had been hit by a small Chinese mortar and all he said was ‘My God’. If he had not taken the full blast, I would have done so”.

“I believed he had a young wife and family. This troubled me and I asked my father to visit her and report back to me as to whether she needed support. My father had served in the trenches for three years in WW1, won two MCs and two MIDs, was wounded twice, second time badly, so he was well aware of the trauma of war. He visited her and reported back that she had strong family support around her and was as well as could be hoped.”

LANGMEAD, I.M. (IAN) West 1944-1948 Ian died on 4 July 2022 aged 91

John’s father, William Mooney, fought on the North West frontier of India during World War I and later served in the Bombay customs. This led to John being educated at boarding schools in the UK. At Cranleigh from 1938 to 1942, he played rugby for the 1st XV and shot for the School. His love of rugby continued throughout his life.

While at Cranleigh he watched the Battle of Britain overhead. This had a profound effect on him. His life was to be all about service to others.

After Cranleigh he went to Trinity College, Oxford to read Chemistry. After one year he gave up his reserved status to join the Fleet Air Arm as a pilot. He trained in Canada and the USA on the Grumman Avenger, a torpedo bomber. After completing his training he was posted back to the UK. He flew a multitude of types of aircraft both in the UK and the Far East but never saw active service. After the war he returned to Oxford to complete a Forestry degree.

Ian was a good all-round sportsman at Cranleigh and was in the 1st XI cricket for two seasons and the squash team for three. He later became a mainstay of the OC Golf Society.

STUBBS, JOHN West 1947-1949 John died on 6 January 2023 aged 89 John (Stubbo) Stubbs spent all his working life with the Sporting Life, starting as a writer, and was Augur (horseracing tipster) for many years before handing over to George Ross.

John then went on the road as one of the main starting price reporters.

This obviously included a great deal of travelling, and along the way he gathered countless stories which he’d relate to colleagues who remember him for his great sense of humour.

From 1949 to 1962 he was a forestry officer in Ghana and in 1958 he married Sela, a nurse. They had three children and six grandchildren. On their return to the UK he did a variety of jobs, finishing up as a company director of a woodlands management company.

He was a very keen gardener and Sela and he opened their garden for many years to help support nursing charities. The last 12 years of his life were dominated by his Alzheimer’s.

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DEATHS

EARNSHAW, S. (SIMON)

LEFT IN 1950s AUSTIN, A.J. (TONY) MBBS DR

COWLING, P.J. (PETER)

West 1952-1957 Tony died on 16 May 2023 aged 84 Tony studied medicine at Bart’s Hospital, London, then returned to Farnham in Surrey where he enjoyed a happy family life while serving his community as a GP.

1 North 1950-1954 Simon died on 23 December 2022 aged 86

BRACEY, J.G. (JOHN) 1&4 South 1952-1956 John died on 15 March 2023 aged 84 After leaving Cranleigh and his twoyear national service, John worked for Rothmans and later Rank Xerox before moving to Australia in 1966.

He became a private investigator and had a successful business working on many high-profile cases, and was president of the Australian Institute of Private Detectives. He is survived by his son Hamish and Jan, his wife of 43 years.

GRANT, I. (IAN) West 1947-1951 Ian died on 24 May 2023 aged 84

West 1952-1957 Peter died on 21 September 2023 aged 84 Peter came to Cranleigh from the Junior School and the highlights of his time included shooting at Bisley and playing the washboard in the short-lived but long-remembered jazz band The Devonport Stompers.

After his national service he joined shipping brokers Galbraith Pembroke in London before moving to Killick Martin, and also played for the OC Hockey Club. He moved to Thailand in 1969 where, in a brief stay, he made headlines when he captained the winning side in the first World Series Bicycle Polo Championships. From there he

switched to Hong Kong where he thrived. With Sheena, whom he married in 1968, he led an active social life and enjoyed the company of a wide circle of friends.

He was part of the shipping company the Wallem Group for more than 50 years and headed the company as managing director from 1986 to 1994. He had many other strings to his bow, including a year as chairman of the Hong Kong Shipowners Association, and, improbably, a spell as Honorary Consul for Iceland in Hong Kong.

DIXON, C.B. (CHRISTOPHER)

Simon and I were contemporaries at Cranleigh, separated by houses (1 North v 2 North) but often meeting for sporting activities and in Sixth Form classes. We were friendly, though not close, at school, little knowing that through ‘the accident of marriage’ we would become ‘family’ and much closer friends. Simon got around the world from an early age, first with his father’s job taking the family to the Seychelles, Yemen and Brazil, and then going to Cyprus for national service with the Royal Signals and Australia for a work stint with Commercial Union.

After his retirement, he served on a number of boards and various associations and remained very active. He held board positions at the London P&I Club and the Swedish Club.

“He was one of the kindest, warmest, most generous and sociable of people and always a pleasure to be with and a proud,

East 1950-1955

Chris died on 1 February 2023 aged 86 Chris and I first met at the Junior School in the Winter term of 1945. Chris suffered with a serious asthma problem, which he bore with great fortitude throughout his school years — treatments and understanding being fairly rudimentary in those days. Unable to take part in sports, his strengths lay in literature, verse, music and French, along with an interest in science and engineering. His health disrupted further education, but he ended up in management in the world of automotive production, preferring not to remain with his sister in the family business of Fox Umbrellas in London.

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LISTINGS Sport was a big part of Simon’s life and if hockey was predominant at school, he also played tennis, squash and cricket before he got the golf bug which became his major interest. He was a true allrounder — competitive, but always with a smile on his face.

every August for the golfing friends he had made at his various clubs.

Cousins were invited, although seldom on the leader board, and it was always a wonderful day out with a BBQ and prizes in the Earnshaws’ garden come the evening.

His career was in insurance — Commercial Union, London Indemnity & General and then Provident Life. This took him and his growing family around the South of England and West Country — Oxford, Bristol and Southampton, with homes in Wokingham, New Forest, Wedmore and finally back to the New Forest area. And all with a local golf club for off duty hours.

Simon had a tough last decade after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s, with which he coped with fortitude and his habitual sense of humour. Jane and the family were wonderful carers and in the last year of his life, when conversation eluded him but he could still smile in recognition, he moved to The Old Prebendal, a care home in the Cotswolds, where he died peacefully last December with his family around him.

Early in the piece he met my cousin, Jane, at Spencer Cricket Club and his fate was sealed. He became part of our extended family and I could not have wished for a better cousinin-law. Simon was essentially a family man, devoted to Jane and their daughters Sally and Catherine.

Gardening was a big interest, but family always came first, even if golf occasionally got in the way.

Simon was always fun to be with and his droll sense of humour made him friends wherever he went. Memories of family events include ‘The Classic Champion of Champions’, a competition he ran loving father and grandfather,” said lifelong friend, Michael Somerville.

“He was a keen but not overly competitive golfer and a regular social bridge player, enjoyed sports — particularly cricket, rugby, golf and tennis. For many years he was one of a group of Hong Kong worthies who acted as volunteer stewards at Wimbledon, in fact the last to serve there, having retired a

A lovely man and a life well lived.

I am indebted to Simon’s sons-in law, David and Keith, for being able to dip into their tribute at his funeral for this obituary. Particularly their final words: ‘Simon was a lovely man, kind and generous, fun to be with and a great sportsman. And at the top of the tree was Jane, the love of his life. He will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.’

Written by John Cook (2 North 1953)

couple of years back.

“I think it is fair to say that apart from family, shipping and its people were at the heart of his life — not just his own business but the industry as a whole, which he continued to serve at the national and international level up till the end, maintaining friendships and relationships which he always so enjoyed.”

He grew up in rural Suffolk where he found peace boating on the river and game hunting with his shotgun — ‘something different’ for his mainly Home Counties school friends. He later settled in London with his wife Bridget and they had a son, James. They moved to Tonbridge in Kent for James’s schooling, and Chris spent his weekends indulging his love of carpentry and antiques, the latter dictating many a family holiday destination. He was widowed in his fifties and retired and moved to Cambridge, where he set about improving his house and garden. He spent his last year happily in a care home, where he came in handy for singing sessions and general knowledge; he had something factual to say on every topic. Unfortunately, a third bout of Covid was a step too far, even for him.

Compiled by: Kathy Dixon, Daughter-in-law; Mark Ransome, (1&4 South 1953)

GIBBINGS, R.J.D. (RICHARD)

East 1952-1956

Richard died on 29 November 2022 aged 83

GOODWIN, F.H.G. (GARTH)

1&4 South 1953-1956 Garth died on 21 June 2023 aged 83 Among many things, Garth embraced changing technology and, with the development of the internet and early websites such as Friends Reunited, he particularly enjoyed connecting again with Old Cranleighans far and wide. Having moved full time from the Midlands to North Devon in the early 2000s it did not take long before Garth got involved in organising south-west lunch reunions and other events. As well as his organising skills, he loved engaging with all generations of OCs. It was one of his most endearing traits that, all through his adult life, he could connect with the many people he met. Be it with family, friends, or business or sporting colleagues, he had an amazing ability to engage with people on all levels and from all backgrounds.

He enjoyed his time at Cranleigh but was probably more interested in the sporting side of things rather than the academic. He was a very proud OC. On leaving school he eventually entered the family business on his father’s side before setting up an unusual venture in the 1970s, through a business on his mother’s side, in wholesaling sports trophies.

He successfully sold this in the mid 1990s. Following retirement, he continued his long-held passion for country sports, both shooting and fishing, whether fishing in the sea or for salmon and trout in North Devon’s rivers. He was never happier than on the Tay or other Scottish rivers fishing for salmon.

He married Sally in 1963 and they enjoyed their 60th wedding anniversary in May 2023. Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2012, Garth battled through treatment and recovered well. It was only in the early summer of 2022 that the cancer came back. He died peacefully at home with his three children and wife at his bedside and is survived by them and six grandchildren.

Written by his son James.

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DEATHS LEFT IN 1950s JACOBS, P.B. (BARRIE) 1 North 1946-1952 Barrie died on 1 June 2023 aged 90 Paul Barrie Jacobs was an allround sportsman at Cranleigh, captaining the 2nd teams at all major sports as well as playing for the 1st XV in 1951.

He was also senior prefect. From Cranleigh he won a scholarship to read medicine at King's College, Cambridge and from 1957 to 1993 he worked as a GP in Gillingham.

LLOYD, R.F. (DICK)

1&4 South 1949-1953

Dick died on 14 October 2022 aged 86 Dick is remembered as a somewhat quiet and serious lad at school who worked diligently to achieve his O and A-Levels and succeeded.

He enjoyed most of the sports on offer but most memorable was his passion for the game of cricket. He started his collection of Wisdens while at School. On leaving Cranleigh he completed national service and then went into the law. While completing his articles (Lovell, White & King) and beyond, he played regularly for the OCRFC. In the 1966 general election he ran as a liberal candidate against then conservative leader Edward Heath in Bexley, where he was able to boast that “I did not lose my deposit”.

PAYNE, D.T.N. (D’ARCY)

He had a yen to sail and was advised to take a course with the Island Cruising Club, based in Salcombe. There he met Judy, who was taking a break after passing her SRN finals at Guy’s Hospital. She was working as cook on Dick’s boat and six months later they were married. They had a daughter and a son. They initially lived in Twickenham, but then Dick was offered a partnership with Lawrence & Co in Bristol. Soon after, David Crowe (East 1958) asked Dick to join his firm, Gouldens. So he returned to London in 1968.

By the late 1970s, Dick knew he wanted to be his own boss. The logical place to do this was Exeter, where his brother John (1&4 South 1949) was a GP and Judy’s immediate family lived. In 1977, Dick and his family moved there and he opened an office of Lloyd, Lawrence & Co. He retired in 1993, having amalgamated his practice with another local law firm. He suffered a fatal brain haemorrhage following a fall at home.

He was sharp of wit, but also very much a giver, with deep compassion for those in straitened circumstances. He was Chairman of the Board of Visitors at Exeter Prison for 12 years. But his greatest achievement in the charities field was the creation of The Island Trust, a charity devoted to getting handicapped youngsters out to sea, in sailing boats, for up to a week at a time. He devoted much of his retirement to this project. There are presently three boats in the fleet and the Trust celebrates its 50th anniversary later this year.

Written by Mark Ransome (1&4 South 1953) and Dick’s widow Judy

1&4 South 1952-1956 D’Arcy died on 4 December 2022 aged 83

D’Arcy spent his early childhood in Northern Ireland with his mother before joining the Junior School in 1948, moving across the road in 1952. During his time at Cranleigh he enjoyed refereeing rugby and directing plays. He continued to meet up with his contemporaries until very recently.

After leaving D’Arcy began work in Glasgow, selling door-to-door for the family business. In search of greater adventure he signed up to Her Majesty’s Overseas Civil Service, working in the Provincial Administration in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). Aged 18 he set to work on such tasks as directing the building of bridges and roads, with only a handbook and a team of labourers whose language he did not yet speak. He returned to the UK to complete a year at St Catherine’s College, Cambridge before sailing once again to Northern Rhodesia to establish an Outward Bound centre and training opportunities for young people who would be in positions of authority and leadership after the country’s independence.

Returning home, D’Arcy met Sally and they married and moved to Manchester. He worked there for the Co-operative Wholesale Group before moving to Rolls Royce in Derby where he eventually became Director of Personnel. His job took

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LISTINGS

him all over the world and latterly he spent a significant amount of time in China. Always somebody with a finger in many pies he also held positions with the Oxford Cambridge Exam Board, the Great Britain China Centre and the local National Trust volunteer group, to name but a few.

Sally and D’Arcy had three children and five grandchildren. As his daughter, my experience was of a man with endless patience

and knowledge. He was sociable and interested, yet quiet and unassuming. He liked steam trains, railway modelling, country music and brass bands, cooking, jigsaws, theatre, films, languages, history, walking, reading and puzzles. He enjoyed travelling with Sally after he retired. He was a dad who carried us on his shoulders, taught us to ride our bikes, built bonfires for us. He was gentle and kind, and lived a very full and interesting life.

I will remember him as accepting

of people from all backgrounds and always open to learning more about the world. He will be fondly remembered and sorely missed.

ROGERS, G.H.J. (JIM)

D’Arcy’s memories of his experiences in Northern Rhodesia are published within the book From the Cam to the Zambezi (2014), edited by Tony Schur and published by the Radcliffe Press.

Written by Emma Vanter (Daughter)

2 North 1947-1952

ROBERTS, S. (SIMON)

East 1956

Jim died on 7 April 2023 aged 89

Simon died on 1 October 2023 aged 85 Simon Roberts joined Cranleigh Junior School in 1946, following in the footsteps of both his father and grandfather, before moving to the Senior School in 1953, where he became Senior Prefect. He played in the unbeaten 1st XV of 1955 and skippered the rugby and hockey teams in 1956, also representing the school in boxing and athletics.

Jim was a natural raconteur, a skill he refined in the debating society at Cranleigh, who was constantly laughing and enjoyed making other people laugh. At Cranleigh he played several sports, notably for the successful 1st XV of 1950 and 1951, was House Captain of 2 North and played lead roles as Falstaff and Sebastian in two school plays.

After doing national service with the 4th and 7th Royal Tank Regiment in Germany, where he was on the winning side of the British Army of the Rhine Inter Unit Rugby seven-a-side championship of 1958, he read History at Worcester College, Oxford where, inevitably, more sport ensued and he played for the university 1st XV, but to his lasting regret not in the Varsity match.

After a year of military service and three years of very limited academic work, but a lot of fun, at Oxford, he joined an entrepreneurial startup company importing electrical products from China and Hong Kong before establishing his own business in the 1980s in Hong Kong.

After Oxford, he joined the family business, Job’s Dairy, which had been established in 1819. Simon’s greatgrandfather, Edward, took it over in 1874 and it duly passed to his son, Henry. Simon took over as chairman in the early 1980s and diversified the business widely.

He opened a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Aldershot in 1971 and, at peak, owned 50 outlets across southern England. He later sold his interests to PepsiCo. He also went into commercial catering with Payne & Gunter and partnered with his second son, Eliot, in a franchise for Cook frozen meals.

His obituary in the Daily Telegraph noted he was “a man of charm and generosity as well as entrepreneurial zest.. [his] policy was to give handsome payouts to his directors and managers whenever a business in the group was sold. For 40 years he ran the Roberts Foundation, a charitable fund established to provide housing for ex-employees, chiefly at Louisa Court in Twickenham, and grants for those on hard times.”

Jim played rugby for the Old Cranleighans for several years in the 1950s in sides which included his closest lifelong friends, Mark Ransome, Bob Ashworth and Dick Lloyd.

In 1960 he married Katie, with whom he had four children. Simon’s eldest son Andrew (East 1981) and his granddaughter Ella (South 2008-2013) also went to Cranleigh School, as had his younger brother Christian (Cubitt 1958-1962). After fifty years of happy marriage, Katie died in 2010 and Simon was fortunate enough to marry Charmian Downer, who was the daughter of the colonel of his old regiment.

Jim enjoyed two long and happy marriages to Mair, and then Pam. His humour, wit and joie de vivre are greatly missed.

Written by William Rogers (2 North 1983)

He was a loyal and supportive Old Cranleighan and remained very close with his school friends throughout his life. He played for the OCRFC into his 40s, becoming captain and chairman of the club. He also skied enthusiastically and hunted with the Surrey Union until a hard fall in his 60s.

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DEATHS LEFT IN 1950s STOVOLD, R.C. (BOB) He judged cattle for many years, becoming chairman of the Surrey Agricultural Society and the Royal Smithfield Society. In addition to his farming and sporting achievements, Bob was chairman of the Shackleford Parish Council for 25 years and president of the Old Aldronian Society and a governor of St Mary’s School, Shackleford.

In 1959 he married Pat and they enjoyed 61 years of a loving partnership. Their eldest son Stuart became a golf professional and Angus and James, their other sons, played with him in the West Hills Father and Sons competition. Golf was part of family life at Cross Farm. They also had a daughter, Emma, and seven grandchildren.

West 1944-1950 Bob died on 28 January 2023 aged 91 Bob Stovold was the third generation of Stovolds to have attended Cranleigh, his father, Percy (West 1921), having also served as a governor of the School. He was born into a well-established West Surrey farming family which specialised in breeding pigs and Aberdeen Angus beef.

SYKES, R.G.S. (RICHARD)

West 1952-1958 Richard died on 6th October aged 84 I first met Richard in the fifties when we played cricket together for the 1st XI in 1958 and we have shared our love for the game ever since!

Bobby is best known amongst Cranleighans for his sporting prowess. He represented the school at rugby, hockey, cricket and tennis and went on to play rugby for the OCs and was awarded a Surrey Cap. He was an extremely accomplished tennis player, but he wanted to play a sport he could practise by himself, so he chose golf. At 19 he joined West Surrey Golf Club with a handicap of 24. By 1959, at the age of 28, he had a handicap of 3 and was appointed club captain, an extraordinary distinction and honour.

He subsequently was made president in 2007 and an Honorary Life Member, having won every West Surrey competition at least five times. He also represented Surrey on several occasions.

Richard was at Dulwich Prep before coming to Cranleigh in 1952. He was a talented games player and played for the 1st XV and the cricket XI in 1957 and in 1958, he topped the batting averages. He received his colours in 1957. He was also House Captain of West.

Soon after leaving Cranleigh he joined Chestertons Commercial as trainee surveyor in the Marble Arch office, which is where he met his future wife, Gill. At his interview one of the questions was “Do you play cricket?” He got the job! At that time, Chestertons were one of the leading agencies in London. He became a partner in 1979 and stayed with the company until they were sold in 1995. Richard was well respected for his wisdom and knowledge of the London market. Following his retirement I invited him to join me in my property company, which he did as a shareholder and director,

Bobby was captain of the Old Cranleighan Golfing Society in 1958 at the age of 27 and president from 2000 to 2003. He played 66 matches in the Halford Hewitt from 1957 to 1989, winning 34 times, an average of nearly 55%. Indeed, he won his match (one up) in the final against Eton in 1968 as well as being on the winning side of the OCGS’s first appearance in 1959 at the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club (Public Schools) Putting Competition. He was the nonplaying captain of the 2006 Mellin Trophy win.

He was a member of OCGS for 69 years. Bobby’s last appearance at an OCGS meeting was in the 2018 Autumn Meeting at West Surrey when he won the Veterans Handicap Cup, which he first won 27 years earlier.

He was still of sharp mind when he died. He had great charm, was engaging, very kind and had a great wit. Bob was always armed with a joke or two. While describing how he wanted his funeral to be organised, he demanded that his favourite club, a three wood, should be buried with him.

His son commented that surely a one iron would be better. “Not even God could hit a one iron,” was his reply.

Bobby is an example to us all in terms of loyalty, decency and achievement. His humour, support and kindness will be missed.

David Willis (West 1959)

which he remained until his death.

It was a credit to Richard that two of his younger partners were happy to join us; both proved to be of great service and very effective members of our team.

Richard married Gill in 1966 and they had three sons and four grandchildren. The family lived in London all their married life, with a new town house in Hammersmith being their final home for the last 40 years. The family spent many happy years at their French cottage near the Loire Valley.

Richard was a member of the OC masonic lodge for 57 years. He played an active part and was the senior Grand Officer in the lodge; he was affectionally known as ‘the father of the lodge’. He was a lifelong member of the OC Golf Society and one of his notable successes was winning the Bunny Millard cup

in partnership with Ian Borrow. He also played many times in the Mellin Salver, on one occasion reaching the finals. Richard was a proud member of the Senior Golf Society and he spent much of his time playing for them in prestigious matches against the likes of Royal Muirfield and other famous Scottish and English clubs.

He played for a few years for the OCRFC until an injury put a stop to that. He joined the MCC 37 years ago and had much enjoyment as a member.

Richard enjoyed the theatre and joined a group of like-minded followers, and once a month they would visit a show of their choice, usually in provincial theatres and occasionally splashing out and going to the West End. The club lasted at least forty years.

Written by Andrew Cronk (2&3 South 1955-1959)

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LEFT IN 1960s MCKINNON CLARK, A. (ALISTER) East 1960-1964 Alister died on 1 February 2023 aged 76 Alister moved from Cranleigh Prep to East House in 1960 and was appointed fag to Pat Gilpin (East 1961), his House Captain.

This arrangement only lasted for one term, for reasons not fully understood, but was the start of a lifelong friendship.

By his own admission, Alister was no academic and an average games player. However, he was an exceptional sailor and spent many an hour with his best friend Robert Phelps on Frensham Ponds with the new Sailing Team. He also enjoyed working on the School farm, particularly when tractor driving was involved. He left after O-Levels and went to work at the Rootes Group in Coventry. He was always destined to join his father Donald (East 1931) in the motor trade.

It was while working at Guy Salmon’s in Kingston with Richard Salmon (Cubitt 1960-1964) that he received a telephone call to inform him that his father had died, having suffered a major brain haemorrhage whilst on holiday in the South of France. Within weeks, Alister, at the tender age of 22, had taken over the running of Sutton Motor Company and McKinnon Motors, a very successful Peugeot dealership.

He was involved with the family business for 54 years, albeit scaled down, until his death.

Alister was the most charming of men and devoted a huge amount of time to his family and, in particular, to his wife and soul mate Wendy.

Diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2015, he underwent countless operations and courses of chemotherapy, never complaining and brave to the end. At his funeral in Cheam the church was full to capacity. You couldn’t wish to meet a nicer bloke, now sadly gone.

Written by Peter Shelley (2 North 1965)

ROBERTS, C. (CHRISTIAN)

Cubitt 1958-1962

Christian died on 26 December 2023 aged 78 Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, Christian was educated at Cranleigh where he was Senior Prefect and Captain of the 1st XV as well as representing the School at athletics and hockey.

He excelled at drama, with leading roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Murder in the Cathedral, Henry IV, Part 11 and Julius Caesar.

His obituary in The Times summed up his activities in the late 1960s.

“He spent his nights at La Famiglia, Alvaro Maccioni’s trendy King’s Road trattoria frequented by Princess Margaret, and learnt the art of professional hosting (his later calling) from Johnny Gold, who ran the night club Dolly’s, later Tramp, in Jermyn Street.

On leaving he spent two years at RADA and in 1967 landed a leading part as an unruly pupil opposite Sidney Poitier in To Sir, With Love.

The film was a success and as a result he was put on a five-year contract by Colombia Pictures.

He then co-starred with Bette Davis in The Anniversary, when the notoriously prickly Davis, fearing she would be upstaged, demanded cuts to his witty one-liners in the script.

“He had bought a 1954 Bentley R-type, which he sprayed white; after taking up with the fiery actress Kate O’Mara, who starred in his fourth film, a 1969 western called The Desperados, he drove it and her to Rome, where Lewis Gilbert, director of his 1970 film The Adventurers, paid him $400 a week in expenses and insisted on using his car in a scene with Candice Bergen.

“Another girlfriend was the French actress Pascale Petit, with whom he worked on a TV film, Berlin Affair. He stayed with her in Paris until she threw him out for smoking dope, a social accessory of the times that he enjoyed and did not hide in his self-published memoir, typically self-effåacingly called Thank God I’m Not Famous.

According to that book, his father Douglas’s only comment on The Adventurers, based on a Harold Robbins novel, was: ‘Far too much sex’.”

In 1973, with his film and TV career no longer sparkling, he returned to his first love, live theatre, working closely with the now defunct Redgrave Theatre in Farnham, Surrey. That year he married Christine Carswell, with whom he had two children. In 1979 he quit acting and joined Job’s, the family business, as Director of Health and Safety. When Job’s was sold in 1987 he found himself without a job and so he returned to the theatre and befriended the director Bob Carlton. The pair collaborated on From a Jack to a King (a rock’n’roll version of Macbeth) which encouraged him to invest in a follow-up, Return to the Forbidden Planet (based on The Tempest). That proved a hit, winning the Laurence Olivier award for best new musical in 1989, clocking up more than 1,500 performances at the Cambridge Theatre and earning Roberts, who starred in it, a considerable profit.

He then bought a house on Barbados next to which was a disused Texaco garage which he acquired for $10,000 and turned into the Lone Star, a chic beachfront restaurant with a fourroom hotel attached. This proved immensely popular and attracted celebrities but the hedonistic life did not suit Christine who spent increasing time in London and, in 2013, Roberts sold the business at a handsome profit and returned to England.

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DEATHS LEFT IN 1970s

LEFT IN 1980s I saw my other self at once playing snooker in the Games Room –

KELLAND (NEE UPTON) K.M. (KARINA)

head down he clucked his tongue with every red he rifled home or mimicked Brian Moore’s crescendo In The Big Match opening: ‘Oh, ‘gainst the post …can he do it?

He can! John Hollins!’

Five years we were a gang of two in chapel, class, assembly or Houseroom on a winter’s afternoon all sofa-squashed and watching rugby

JONES, R.P. (ROB)

2 North 1970-1975

Rob died on 21 March 2023 aged 65 I met Rob on my second day at school in September 1970 — the start of Marc Van Hasselt’s era — playing snooker in the 2 North Junior Common Room. He was strikingly good-looking (he became known as the ‘handsomest boy in Surrey’), relaxed and did uncanny imitations of football commentators. We became best friends almost instantly and remained so continuously until his death earlier this year.

Rob seemed to have the world at his feet. I dreaded going to parties with him, knowing that every girl in the room would swivel her eyes his way as we walked in. The son of two professional actors (his father, Lewis, was a star of a current soap, General Hospital), he was a fine actor; he was also an excellent sportsman, a mainstay of the school 1st XV and the cricket 1st XI; nor was he too shabby academically — his three As at A-Level and two S-Levels saw him get into Oxford and deepen his talents there: scholarship, sport, acting, romances and friendships.

After Oxford he taught English in Spain for a while but then made his way in the field of organising business conferences, a job that drew on his sharp acumen, diligence and thespian flair. What could possibly go wrong?

through the snowlight of Twickenham on a Logie Baird TV; or in the cosy little Music Room

I used to visit him when I was over from Ireland and to ring him every week. Inevitably we would talk about Brentford FC, prog rock and our schooldays, one of the happiest periods of his life.

Dr Johnson once wrote, “It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives.” Rob showed huge courage and cheerful determination as his quality of life worsened and was even rehearsing for a speaking part in a play only days before he died. He was above all just a lovely human being — kind, bright, self-deprecating, generous and gently funny.

Written by James Harpur (2 North 1975)

Karina died on 20 February 2023 aged 59

falling into ecstasy headphones electrode-clamped slugging the Groundhogs down our ears.

Each day like hostages we dreamt

Karina went to medical school after Cranleigh and had been working as a GP at the Amwell Group Practice in Islington since 1997.

of anywhere beyond the here and now, of unexamined lives worth living – the mistral skies of the Côte D’Azur a party in Weybridge, Ealing fare-dodging Tubes to crash a disco.

By day we watched each other’s backs at night became the other’s bedtime story; in rugby teams we were the locks adopting Welsh accents to be scary; and in the scrums we welded into one as if confirming Plato’s idea that the gods split people when they’re born and make them roam across the earth

I remember the day in the mid 1980s when he rang me at work.

He told me he’d been diagnosed with MS. Still in his late 20s, he found his world changed overnight. Fortunately the onset of MS was relatively slow and soon he married a fellow thespian, Wendy, and together they had two wonderful daughters, Chloe and Rosily.

Rob still continued to work, even after he had become wheelchairbound. By the time he moved to Chichester he had had to give up his job and live a life dependent on his family, carers and old friends, including many Old Cranleighans.

1 North, 1979-1981

to find their other halves.

LANDER, J.E. (JONATHAN) 1 North 1985 Jonathan died on 28 August 2023 aged 55 Jonathan, who was only at Cranleigh briefly in the Sixth Form, was an entrepreneur and philanthropist with a considerable reputation on Wall Street and in the City of London as a shrewd investor and businessman. In 1992 he and his brother founded Volvere PLC to buy businesses in distress and turn them around.

Conjoined, we roamed no further than the next meal, prep, assembly, class; our future was a no-year plan.

We would’ve laughed if someone said I’d be his best man, and me so late for the church I felt like the bride; that he would carry my rucksack around the broiling Peloponnese because I’d slipped a disk; that I would scatter Waterloo commuters like pigeons to clear a path for him to make the train to Chichester – his face the level of the window glass reminding me again his wheelchair had claimed him as its other half.

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LISTINGS

LEFT IN 1990s

MCR & BURSARIAL

CAUDRON, M. (MARC)

to away matches. On Sundays, he often took a party on trips to walk in the hills, along the South Downs, or to visit a famous historical location.

East 1992 Marc died on 2 July 2023 aged 49 Marc enjoyed his time at Cranleigh where he was House Captain of East. He played for the 1st XV in 1991 (touring Canada with them that year) and also represented the School at athletics and basketball.

After Oxford Brookes he travelled the world for two years before setting up Pod 1, a New Yorkbased creative digital commerce and marketing agency, with two university friends in 2001. After selling the company in 2012 he worked for several firms in the area of digital commerce and at the time of his death he was with Accenture in New York.

PERRY. C.P. ST.J (CHRISTOPHER) Prep School 1970-1995 After a number of years battling ill health, Christopher Perry died at his home in Oswestry, in April 2023.

To say that he was a memorable figure at the Prep School would be an understatement. He was a wonderful, larger-than-life, eccentric and popular Master who inspired the love of History in many of his pupils and he served as a father figure to many of the boarders. As the Head of Boarding, the school was his home and his work place. Christopher had a fine sense of humour and although a firm and wise disciplinarian at times, he knew exactly when humour was most appropriate.

Educated at Ellesmere and then Durham University, he joined the school in 1970. He soon became Head of History, emphasising the importance of historical narrative and chronology. History dates were soon imprinted on the pupils’ minds and the eminent historian, Andrew Roberts, frequently refers to Mr Perry’s inspirational teaching.

Sometimes delivering his lessons on or even under his desk, with or without twisted elastic bands in his hair, or adopting other unusual poses, Perry unwaveringly held his pupils’ attention.

However, teaching was only part of the day at a busy boarding school.

He was in charge at breakfast, organised Chapel readings, delivered weekly ‘sermons’ and took a full part in the games programme, regularly taking teams

His love of the open air manifested itself with the legendary ‘Perry camps’. These renowned experiences of organised chaos were enjoyed hugely. On summer weekends, enthusiastic groups of boys camped on the Surrey/ Sussex borders, usually beside a minor river or lake. Rope swings, overloaded rowing dinghies, fishing, hide and seek, and camp fires provided many pupils with their happiest memories of Prep School life. In the summer holidays, Mr P regularly took a party of boys to camp in France or Wales, whilst in the Easter holidays he took groups on the IAPS educational cruise in the Mediterranean. He participated in school sailing holidays on the Norfolk Broads and, once, skied with a school party.

Christopher was at his best when he was busy which was, fortunately, most of the time! He claimed to find cooking relaxing.

Consequently, many parents and colleagues will have delightful memories of being invited to one of his celebrated dinner parties, the table prepared as if for a film set at Downton Abbey.

Another aspect of Christopher’s individuality concerned his socalled dress sense, which was clearly formed twenty years before he was born: the open-toed sandals, the Baden-Powell shorts, the worsted brown suit, plus fours and — worst of all — that purple knitted ‘bathing dress’. These sartorial affectations were, as many of his colleagues realised, wonderful ‘attention grabbers’.

Apparently shy at times, Perry enjoyed the limelight and the classroom provided the perfect stage; here the leading player had a captive audience. He was, of course, always willing to take part in any school drama productions; he usually just played himself.

When the Second Master, Michael Evans, unexpectedly had to retire because of ill health, Christopher was appointed to replace him. He fulfilled this role conscientiously and effectively although some of his handwritten directives, pinned on noticeboards, might have challenged the boffins at Bletchley Park.

After he retired to his home in Shropshire, Christopher soon became involved in helping disabled folk, giving advice to children at school and visiting and entertaining his many friends.

He devoted much of his time to the running of a small village church on the Welsh border and it was here that his funeral took place on a sunny afternoon in May. In September, a Memorial Service was held for Christopher in the Prep School Chapel. Many members of his family, parents, colleagues, friends and former pupils gathered to celebrate his wonderful life with three superb addresses, expert readings, hearty singing and, inevitably, some delightful moments of humour.

Written by Toby Batchelor and Colin Henderson

WHITE. I. H, (IAN) MCR 1989-1999 Ian came to Cranleigh from Fettes and for eight years headed a lively and successful Biology department. He involved himself in many aspects of school life, and especially made his mark as an excellent and in-demand photographer and gardener. He finished his career at Shrewsbury School. He had a great love of cricket and in retirement spent many happy hours at Chard Cricket Club, where, during his teenage years, he was very involved with helping to maintain the grounds.

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STARTING UNIVERSITY IN 2023

WHO’S WHERE SURNAME FORENAME LEAVING YEAR

HOUSE

DESTINATION

Anelay Grace 2023 S Nottingham Atkins Ben 2023 C Nottingham Bailey Ruby 2023 W Exeter Baker Fred 2022 N Royal Agricultural College Barker Joel 2023 E Bristol Barnicoat Ted 2023 N Birmingham Barrow Zoe 2022 W Nottingham Trent Bartels Josh 2023 C Kingston Bell Felicity 2023 W Norland Bendall Izzy 2023 M York Best Joe 2023 E Nottingham Birrell Jacqui 2023 R Edinburgh Boddington Caleb 2022 N Cardiff Met Bowen Madeline 2022 S Exeter Bowman Joe 2023 L Swansea Breeden Tom 2023 C Exeter Bugler Lucy 2023 W Leeds Campbell-Harris Max 2022 L UWE Bristol Carey Mia 2022 W Bristol Casey Tom 2023 N Cardiff Chalkley Natascha 2022 R Newcastle Chiappini Isobel 2022 M Nottingham Chilcott Archie 2022 L Nottingham Clannachan Carsten 2023 N Exeter Clyne Katherine 2023 W Birmingham Coles Katie 2022 W Newcastle Cooksley Ben 2022 C Washington Adventist University Cope Tom 2023 N Cardiff Cornelius Esme 2023 M Nottingham Cotterell Josh 2022 E Edinburgh Crawford Grace 2022 W Oxford Brookes Creer Alistair 2023 N Manchester Cunningham Max 2023 E Durham Davis Herb 2023 L Bristol Edmonds Scott 2023 L Nottingham Edwards Ryeley 2022 E Oxford Brookes Emburey Beatrice 2023 R Exeter Fearn Phoebe 2023 M Manchester Flanagan Olivia 2023 R City and Guilds Foster Eloise 2023 R Nottingham Fu Ben 2022 C Exeter Gates Bertie 2022 N Cardiff Graham Léa 2022 R Durham Grayson Rosie 2023 R Exeter Gutteridge Harry 2023 N Oxford Brookes Hanley Charlotte 2022 W Durham Heal Annabelle 2023 M Exeter

Hennessy Will 2022 L Exeter Henry Louis 2023 N Cardiff Higgins Cicely 2023 M Manchester Hogbin Charlotte 2023 M Exeter Hopcroft Luke 2023 C York Jackson Lucia 2022 R Newcastle Jovanovich Rose 2023 R Oxford Brookes

Kamm Felicity 2022 S Nottingham Kariuki Danielle 2023 R Brighton Kirkland Georgia 2022 M Exeter Kluyver Olivia 2023 R Exeter Kohler Emily 2023 W Durham Leacock Ben 2023 E UCL

COURSE Midwifery Business Management Communications Rural Land Management Mathematics and Philosophy Biochemistry Primary Education (QTS) Fine Art Early Childhood Education and Care Law American Studies and History Biological Sciences (Biochemistry) Sports Media Economics with Industrial Experience Aerospace Engineering English and Communications Geophysics Business Management and Marketing Geography Business Management Modern Languages American Studies Liberal Arts (English and French) Business Management and Marketing Business Management Geography Football Scholarship studying Sport Science Criminology and Sociology American and Canadian Studies International Business History of Art Mathematics and Statistics Politics and International Relations Economics and Econometrics Geography with Business Geography Business and Management Physics Art Foundation Zoology Civil Engineering with year in Industry Engineering with Foundation Year Anthropology Business Management Real Estate Criminology Art History & Visual Culture and Classical Studies Politics and International Relations Urban Planning and Development English Literature Exercise and Sports Sciences English Literature Psychology International Tourism and Hospitality Management Sociology Interior Architecture Business and Management Business and Management Business Management (Marketing) Economics

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STARTING UNIVERSITY IN 2023

SURNAME FORENAME LEAVING YEAR

HOUSE

DESTINATION

Lewis Rhys 2023 E Liverpool Long Felix 2023 N Royal Holloway Majid Yousef 2022 N Surrey Mannix Archie 2023 E Edinburgh Martin Olivia 2023 R Stanford McCall Kyle 2023 E Oxford Brookes Mommsen Nicholas 2023 L Durham Moore Evie 2022 S Manchester Morgan Charles 2023 N Durham Morley Alex 2022 N Cardiff Mould Thomas 2023 L Durham Olivier Chantinique 2023 M Nottingham Oosterkamp Josh 2023 L Oxford Brookes Patterson Charlie 2023 E Reading Pitts-Tucker Frederick 2022 C Cardiff Prior Fergus 2022 L Newcastle Proctor Archie 2023 C Exeter Read Oliver 2022 C Exeter Reader Cameron 2022 N Oxford Brookes Robertson Jasper 2022 C Exeter Rockingham Jasper 2022 N Nottingham Roger Olivia 2023 M Nottingham Trent Rollitt Max 2022 E Exeter Rollitt Daisy 2023 M Exeter Ross Robbie 2022 N Leeds Rowlands Jessica 2022 S Durham Rutherford Sienna 2023 S Bath Sangster Amelie 2022 W York Selden Isobel 2023 M Leeds Selden Oliver 2023 E Exeter Shariff Kasim 2023 E Newcastle Sinclair Davie Anghard 2023 M Exeter Smith Tom 2023 N Surrey Spencer Jake 2022 E Bristol Stokoe Rosanna 2022 R Exeter Sullivan Beatrice 2022 W Newcastle Taylor Joshua 2023 C Bath Toogood Hary 2022 L Sheffield Troube Alexander 2023 C Newcastle Vaughan-Payne William 2022 C Oxford Brookes Vergopoulos Amber 2023 R Durham Vinall Frederick 2022 N Reading Waddell Tom 2023 C Durham Walker Thomas 2022 L Bath Walker Scott 2023 L Newcastle Ware William 2022 L Cardiff Warham Anna 2022 S Edinburgh Wartski Matthew 2023 E York Weaver Oliver 2023 C Coventry Webster Luke 2023 C Bath Wheeler Tom 2023 C Exeter

Wilkinson Jaya 2023 W Exeter Wilks Hallé 2022 M Leeds Wilson Jessamy 2022 W Birmingham

COURSE Microbiology English Business Management History and Economics Liberal Arts Marketing Management Engineering Film and Television Theology and Religion Psychology General Engineering American and Canadian Studies Accounting and Finance Geography History Combined Honours Geography (Science) International Relations Primary Education Physics Physics Event Management Business Economics Exercise and Sports Sciences International Relations Psychology and Anthropology Sport and Exercise Science Psychology Social Policy, Sociology and Crime Politics and International Relations Marine Biology Exercise and Sports Sciences Film and Theatre Production International Social and Public Policy English Literature History International Development with Economics International Business Management Business Management Computing Chemistry Archaeology Natural Sciences Chemistry Politics and History History Psychology English Literature Automotive & Transport Design Economics Economics and Politics with Industrial Experience Psychology Fashion Marketing Psychology

The details on these pages are accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of printing

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STRAPLINEXXXX

HEADMASTER’S RULES Until the electronic era, the Headmaster’s noticeboard directly opposite the entrance to the Dining Hall was the main way of passing on important information to the School. After a series of fake notices which followed the loss of the Headmaster’s

official headed paper in 1979 the noticeboard was enclosed.

However, that did not prove a deterrent to those determined to put up something unofficial, such as this notice which appeared near the end of the 1992 Summer term.

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LISTINGS

COMMON ROOM LEAVERS VERITY DUTTON (2019-2023)

CHARLOTTE ALLEN (2017-2023) A passionate and caring Deputy Housemistress in South, who has championed student welfare and diversity, a committed sports coach, and a dedicated, expert and superb Classics teacher. And these aren’t just my remarks. When I asked some Sixth Form students and tutees for some feedback and memories, I was genuinely taken aback and touched by the sheer frequency in which these comments abound. While she may have implemented some interesting teaching methods, it seems she will be remembered most for her inspiration, warmth and ability.

WILL CHADWICK (2017-2023) Will arrived at Cranleigh in 2017 to teach French and Spanish. He took on the role of second in the department and involved himself fully in the life of the school with tutoring, coaching rugby and hockey and for some of the time running Fives. He leaves us to take on the role of Head of French at Sherborne School.

Verity joined Cranleigh in 2019 as a Teacher of Physics. She was also part of Martlet House’s first tutor team, bringing with her muchvalued experience and useful advice from her previous role as Housemistress at Christ’s Hospital.

With a sense of style to be reckoned with, and hair which has at some point featured all the colours of the electromagnetic spectrum, Verity has been a supportive and adaptable colleague. She has also run countless Physics clinics, Lego club, and jewellery making activities, and has been a passionate coach for both junior girls’ softball cricket and U14 netball.

PREP SCHOOL GAPPIES Four 2023 leavers have spent the Michaelmas term working at Cranleigh Prep School, on the sports field where their experience and enthusiasm were valued hugely, in the classroom as an extra pair of hands as well as helping out in the boarding house. Rhys will be staying for the rest of the academic year and Charlie and Jonah will return for the term after doing some travelling.

(Jack Schofield-Newton)

MRS MILENA BAFFOU (2010-2023) Milena has been the Languages Assistant at Cranleigh for 13 years, during that time she has not only involved herself fully in the department but has also been a tutor in the girls houses and helped with many of the activity sessions. Milena and her family are moving back to France.

LILY BREWER

(Martlett 2023), RHYS LEWIS

CHARLIE PATIENT

(East 2023), JONAH CAHUSAC

(Cubitt 2023).

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LISTINGS ROB LANE (2009- 2022)

ROB COOTES (2021-2023)

AMY EMERY (2022-2023)

Classics, Tutor Loveday

Physics, Tutor Rhodes

DREW GUPPY (2016-2023)

Drew is one of the very best History teachers I’ve seen in the classroom; although it’s a great shame for us to lose him to Exeter College, it’s nonetheless our good fortune that he’s remained at Cranleigh for as long as he has. Over these years, Drew has retained precisely the same attitude: he has been reflective, he has identified his supposed weaknesses, and he has worked unrelentingly to become a better teacher. On those many occasions when he could have relaxed into doing a decent-enough job, settling into repeating the same lessons and prep assignments term after term, he has instead refused to be complacent;

there’s always an improvement to be made. The fact that Drew’s final contribution to our final department meeting this year involved a lengthy reflection on how he felt he could have taught this-and-that student better therefore came as no surprise at all. (And needless to add: of course, he’s taught these students very well indeed). It’s been a long-held ambition of Drew to move back to his roots in the Westcountry; on a personal level, I am absolutely delighted he’s been able to make this move a reality.

This is our loss: the students at Exeter are extremely lucky to have him.

(Adam Rothwell)

TRISH HENDERSON (2020-2023)

AMELIA JOHNSON (2020-2023

Head of Modern Foreign Languages and Head of Spanish, Tutor Rhodes

Geography, Assistant Housemistress South

An engineer by training, he worked at Rolls Royce after university, acquired a private pilot’slicence and would probably have become an astronaut except he’d have had to hang his flamingo-like legs out of the Shuttle windows, so he gave teaching a try instead, initially in the Physics and Design departments here at Cranleigh. As soon as he joined us it was apparent that Rob was destined for rapid promotion: he is highly intelligent, thoughtful, superbly organised, calmly capable and tremendously hardworking.

As a Physics teacher Rob possesses an extraordinary ability to draw pupils in to topics that might otherwise seem dry, and to explain complex phenomena in clear, concise language that can be easily understood – the very essence of teaching. He could start an unpromising sentence about space travel or quantum theory and you would find yourself somehow intrigued, fascinated and asking for more detail. I soon appointed him as Day Warden in East and learnt that no task was either too big or too small: he was unfailingly reliable with anything important, delicate, sensitive or problematic, but he had absolutely no ego and was therefore equally prepared to mop up the dull, tedious, unexciting jobs too, taking as much care over the mundane minutiae of House life as he would with a knotty pastoral issue. This is a much rarer quality than you might think, and one that should be highly valued.

Inevitably Rob was soon snapped up as Head of Physics, then Deputy Housemaster of North (his old House when a pupil here), and then Housemaster of Loveday. In each role he was fastidious about doing things ‘properly,’ displaying a Basil Fawlty-esque shrillness when pupils or colleagues tried to cut corners or when things weren’t up to scratch, but somehow managing that most difficult of balancing acts, of being simultaneously both very serious and very silly. There is almost no job that isn’t better for doing it alongside Rob. He’ll add value and skill to the task but will make work seem less like work while doing so, and you’ll laugh a lot. Rob is an incrementalist rather than a revolutionary, a diplomat rather than a cage-rattler, but if you want things to get consistently, demonstrably better over time then he’s close as you get to a dead cert. As a manager he was impeccable, ‘managing down’ with clarity, understanding and empathy, but even more skilful ‘managing up’, unafraid of questioning perceived wisdom but doing so with humour, and always, always with a solution to every observed problem.

Alongside the highly visible promotions, Rob continued to contribute unshowily to any number of areas of Cranleigh life - as a rugby coach, running the Sixth Form Butts Committee, as an Officer in the CCF, for example, or, in the summer, switching effortlessly from Physics classroom to high jump pit – from quantum leaps to quantum leaps, as it were. In this latter role he cut an almost ludicrously scrupulous figure, clipboard in hand, assiduously measuring the bar height, paying punctilious attention

FREDDIE LAUGHTON (2016-2023) Freddie joined Cranleigh in 2016 from St George’s Weybridge as Head of Biology and, from day one, established himself as a first-class member of the Common Room.

From his interview everyone felt Freddie would be ‘awesome’, in the words of Dr Saxel, and how right this turned out to be. In the classroom, he will be remembered for his outstanding approach to teaching and his tremendous commitment.

As a Head of Department he has brought new levels of professionalism to the department and the department has gone from

strength to strength under his leadership. His new role as Head of Science at The British School Al Khubairat is fully deserved and he will undoubtedly be a huge success.

Freddie has also had a massive impact outside of the classroom. He has been the medical coordinator and the work he has done here is often unseen and not given enough credit. Year on year pupils have been offered places on highly competitive places and the support they have had cannot be commended enough.

In the past year he has run the Prep Committee, been a member of the

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LISTINGS

“

DISPLAYING A BASIL FAWLTYESQUE STRILLNESS WHEN PUPILS OR COLLEAGUES TRIED TO CUT CORNERS OR WHEN THINGS WEREN’T UP TO SCRATCH

“

ANDY ROBINSON (2012-2023) Andy leaves Cranleigh after 11 years in the Modern Languages department (most recently as Head of French), to head off with his family to Marlborough College, Malaysia. to the running order, fussing over the condition of the landing mats and so on, the very caricature of officious officialdom… and yet, somehow by doing so conferring a degree of professionalism and dignity to proceedings – if it’s worth doing, do it well. That’s Rob in a nutshell. And pupils and colleagues loved him for it.

As a former Cranleigh pupil, Rob was always very conscious that he would, at some point, have to broaden his experience and further his career elsewhere. After a decade of hands-on experience at the sharp end of decision-making in a full-on boarding environment he couldn’t be better prepared for his move to Oswestry School as Deputy Head, and in time will almost certainly hop effortlessly over the stepping stones to Headship – a position for which he would be eminently well-suited. In the meantime, the gap left in Cranleigh life without him, Sam and their two lovely boys is very real indeed. (Simon Bird)

Common Room committee and supported UCAS applications. He has been a committed member of the schools extra-curricular programme, and an excellent rugby and cricket coach. As a tutor and assistant in North he really connected with the pupils in his care and showed great compassion.

Freddie was only an assistant for a year - and he did everything to such a high level of professionalism. His attention to detail, support for his tutees and the parents has been second to none.

GREGOR MCMILLAN (2018-2023) Design Engineering, Assistant House Master Cubitt

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